Factors affecting aquatic beetle communities of Northern Western Ghats of India (Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera)

Abstract

We studied faunistic and ecological factors influencing distributions of aquatic beetles in the Northern Western Ghats (NWG) of India. In the period 2013–2017, we collected 213 samples from 105 localities within the area and obtained 66 species, the majority of which belong to Dytiscidae. Relative occurrence based on incidence data revealed that dytiscid water beetle Laccophilus inefficiens as the most widespread species. Non-parametric richness estimators Chao2, Jackknife1 and Bootstrap showed that 70–80% of the fauna was covered in the sampling efforts from different types of freshwater habitats. Sample-based rarefaction suggested that more sampling efforts within the region can yield additional species. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that altitude, salinity, hydroperiod and depth influenced the distribution of aquatic beetles. Further, CCA also revealed habitat preference and co-occurrence of various aquatic beetle species. For instance, while co-occurring species under Laccophilinae and Hydroporinae were eurytopic, other co-occurring species Clypeodytes hemani, Microdytes sabitae and Lacconectus lambai were restricted to temporary habitats. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) showed a strong association between altitudinal classes and species distribution where many species were restricted within a particular altitudinal gradient. For example, M. sabitae, C. hemani, Hygrotus nilghiricus, L. lambai and Rhantus taprobanicus with classes 900–1199 and 1200–1499 while Hyphydrus flavicans, Laccophilus ceylonicus, Lacconectus andrewesi, Sternolophus inconspicuus and Canthydrus laetabilis with the class 300–599. The present work on aquatic beetles is the first attempt to study the influence of environmental factors on species diversity and distribution in the Northern Western Ghats of India.

Two new species of Anacaena Thomson, 1859 (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae) from Northern Luzon, Philippines

“…in Mindanao Island. This trend in species-specific distribution to a limited altitudinal range has been documented in beetles (Maveety et al 2011;Koutroumpa et al 2013;Sheth et al 2019).…”

Faunal inventory and illustrated taxonomic keys to aquatic Coleoptera (Arthropoda: Insecta) of the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India

“…Similarly, Neohydrocoptus bivittis is recorded for the first time from the Konkan region, westward to the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra. This suggests that the water beetle fauna of Maharashtra has perhaps been underestimated and intensive surveys may reveal a few more known species or even new species (Sheth et al 2019).…”

“…For the present work, we focused on freshwater habitats in the northern Western Ghats (hereafter referred to as NWG) of Maharashtra State (locality and habitat details are according to Sheth et al 2019). NWG are one of eight parts of the Deccan plateau formed due to volcanic eruptions (Image 1A).…”

Effects of abiotic and biotic drivers on tadpoles in seasonal rock pools of Western Ghats rock outcrops, India

“…They harbor various endemic organisms uniquely adapted to the highly variable environment in the open ecosystem (Watve, 2013; Gaitonde et al, 2016). There is existing information on arthropod and aquatic plant communities (Sheth et al, 2019; Kulkarni et al, 2022; Kulkarni et al, 2023), but vertebrate ecology, especially of tadpoles, is lacking. Jithin et al .…”

“…They harbor various endemic organisms uniquely adapted to the highly variable environment in the open ecosystem (Watve, 2013;Gaitonde et al, 2016). There is existing information on arthropod and aquatic plant communities (Sheth et al, 2019;Kulkarni et al, 2022;Kulkarni et al, 2023), but vertebrate ecology, especially of tadpoles, is lacking. Jithin et al (2023) showed that large FRPs are important for adults of three species of frogs: Euphlyctis jaladhara, Microhyla nilphamariensis, and Polypedates maculatus; and recommended restoration or creation of rock pools for amphibian conservation in light of reduced FRP availability because of rapid conversion of outcrops to orchards that reduces the availability of FRPs.…”