Diversity and community structure of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera insects in Kolli hills of the Eastern Ghats, India

Abstract

The study describes the diversity and community structure of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa present in the Puliyancholai stream of the Kolli hills, Eastern Ghats. During the six months of study 397 specimens from 11 genera under seven families were collected. Ephemeroptera was the most dominant species followed by Trichoptera and Plecoptera. Various alpha biodiversity indices showed that the Simpson’s index was maximum in October (0.878) and minimum in December (0.832). The Shannon-Weiner index was maximum in December (2.277) and minimum in January (2.151). Evenness index was most noteworthy in October (0.872) and it was least in December (0.725). Temperature, pH, calcium and magnesium are major stressors in governing the EPT community of Kolli hills, according to Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA).