Use of Aquatic Insects to Assess the Biological Status of a Perennial Pond in Assam, Northeast India

Authors

  • Rabindra Hazarika Post-Graduate Department of Zoology, Darrang College, Tezpur 784001, Assam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2022.794

Keywords:

Perennial pond, Assam, Hemiptera, Heteroptera, BMWP, ASPT, abundance, diversity indices, water quality, hydroperiod, population, vegetation

Abstract

An investigation was carried out on “Hazara Pukhuri”, a perennial pond in Sonitpur district, North East India, between July 2019 and June 2020. To assess the health of the waterbody, various biotic and diversity indices were applied, with aquatic and semi-aquatic hemipteran populations functioning as bioindicators. The pond’s hemipterans include 17 species from 13 genera and 8 families, including Gerridae, Corixidae, Pleidae, Notonectidae, Nepidae, Belostomatidae, Hydrometridae, and Mesoveliidae. The biotic indices Average Score per Taxon (ASPT), Stream Invertebrate Grade Number-Average Level (SIGNAL-2), and The Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) Score, as well as other diversity indices, were assessed to indicate that the waterbody was unpolluted/ slightly polluted. The presence or lack of littoral vegetation and flooding and drying of nearby shallow water pools and swampy areas were important drivers of the distribution, abundance, and community composition of aquatic and semi-aquatic hemipterans in the studied water body.

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Published

2023-06-01

How to Cite

Hazarika, R. (2023). Use of Aquatic Insects to Assess the Biological Status of a Perennial Pond in Assam, Northeast India. Indian Journal of Entomology, 85(2), 297–302. https://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2022.794

Issue

Volume 85, Issue 2, June 2023

Section

Research Articles
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Europe PMC

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