Diversity of insect fauna in three selected sacred groves of Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Sacred groves are tiny islands or areas of original woodland or ecosystem that have been largely or entirely preserved by local religious or cultural authorities. They are kept up by intricate, traditional institutions that occasionally work without the help of the government. By protecting virgin forests, acting as key refuges for rare and valuable local species, and providing supplies of herbs for medicinal, social, and religious uses, sacred groves provide essential ecological and socio-cultural services. The number of sacred groves in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India is thought to be 153. A study of the insect diversity from three holy groves in the Murshidabad district has been made. The dominating order of insects which were found in three different sacred groves where Hymenoptera (69%), then Hemiptera (8%), then Lepidoptera (5%), Coleoptera (5%), Diptera (5%), then Orthoptera (3%), then collembola (2%), then Dermaptera (1%), Dictyopteran (1%), Odonatan (1%) and then Diplura (0%), Thysanoptera (0%).