1School of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SAST), Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) – Deemed to be University, Shirpur - 425 405, Dhule, Maharashtra, India
SVKM’s College of Agriculture (Affiliated to Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri), Tardi, Shirpur - 425 421, Dhule, Maharashtra, India
*Corresponding authors’ E-mail : kcagriento@gmail.com
Online Published on 24 December, 2025.
The objective of this study was to analyze the status of insect diversity in Shirpur, Dhule of Maharashtra. Various insect orders were collected and identified to assess their abundance and diversity across different habitats in Shirpur. Specimens were collected using net sweeping, yellow pan trapping, and host rearing methods from agricultural fields, recreation parks and forest areas. Over the course of the survey during 2022 to 2024, a total of 2,781 insects representing 21 different orders were collected. Hymenopterans dominated the diversity accounting for 516 specimens, followed by Hemipterans (478), Coleopterans (446), and Lepidopterans (395). Mecopterans were least represented while Collembola and Anoplura represented five specimens each. Crop-pests dominated the collection accounting for 54% followed by 34% beneficial insects, 7% household pests and 5% domestic animal pests. High crop-pest population and fairly rich beneficial insect populations signify co-evolution of pest-beneficial insect interactions in this agro-ecosystem.
Diversity indices, Diversity studies, Insect orders, Shirpur
