Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT ASSOCIATION OF BEETLE ASSEMBLAGES IN THE LANDSCAPE OF CORBETT TIGER RESERVE, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

Manoj Kumar Arya and Dayakrishna

Abstract

Beetles communities were studied in six biotopes within the landscape of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India. A total of 1022 individuals of beetles (Order: Coleoptera) belonging to 27 species and 10 families were recorded during the study period 2014-15. The number of species within biotopes varied from 7 to 16 and two species of beetles (Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus and Zygogramma bicolorata (Pallister) were common to all six biotopes. Cosmodela intermedia Chaudoir was abundant in riverine habitat, while Calomera chloris Hope and Mylabris cichorii (Linnaeus) were abundant in open scrubland. Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister was abundant in plantation, farmland and open scrubland habitats. Scarabaeidae was the most dominant family with 10 species followed by Chrysomelidae (four species), Cicindelidae (three species), whereas families Coccinellidae, Elateridae and Meloidae were represented by two species each and similarly, families Carabidae, Curculionidae, Hydrophilidae and Tenebrionidae were represented by a single species, respectively. The most abundant species were Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister, Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus and Mylabris cichorii (Linnaeus), whereas Adelocera species, Copris sacontala Redtenbacher and Protaetia pretiosa Nonfried were the less abundant recorded during the entire study period.