Abstract

Hymenoptera diversity was investigated in a deciduous forest from South India during July 2009 to June 2010. Among the 38 collected species, the identified 36 species belong to 21 genera and nine families. The dominant families include Vespidae, Apidae, Formicidae, Sphecidae and Megachilidae, respectively. In the present study, the hymenopterans like the carpenter bees, honey bees, leaf cutter bees and ants were abundantly seen during March, April and May. The highest hymenopteran diversity was found during May 2010, where the Shannon’s overall index of diversity was 1.95. The evenness index (E1) was high during September indicating that there is less variation in communities between the species. Most of the Hymenopterans recorded were good pollinators and were seen in plants such asAncardium occidentale, Lantana camara and Calotropis gigantea present in the study area. The study indicates a rich and diverse hymenopteran fauna in the deciduous forest.

Key words: Hymenoptera, biodiversity, deciduous forest.