Insects are the largest class within the phylum Arthropoda and are a very diverse group and a

dominant taxon. Arthro means” jointed” and poda means ” legs”. Arthopoda is the biggest
phylum of kingdom Animalia. More than three quarters of the animals on earth are arthropods,
and most of these are insects.

It is said that insects came into earth 480 million years ago and Man only one million years ago.
There are about 17 lakh living species on earth, 9.5 lakh species are insects, 2.5 lakh species are
plants and 0.45 lakh species alone are vertebrates. They are divided into 27 orders including
many groups such as beetles, flies, and butterflies etc . Because of their diversity they play an
important role in ecology and influence on agriculture, human health and natural resources.
Insects are most diverse, successful and dominant taxon of the animal kingdom. They are found
in almost every habitat across the globe. It is due to their diverse body size, habit, fecundity,
different modes of respiration, food diversity etc. Because of these diverse characteristics, they
became an important component of our ecosystem. They have significant influence on
agriculture, human health and natural resources. This was the main reason for analysing the
status of insects’ diversity across Palwal city.

. Insects are the hexapod invertebrates from class – insecta, phylum – Arthropoda and kingdom –
Animalia (Linnaeus, 1758).

Insects are invertebrates and tracheate arthropods and have three main body parts (a head, a
thorax and an abdomen), and have six legs, antennae and a hard exoskeleton, like a skeleton on
the outside of their body.
The head contains sensory organs such as eyes and antennae and mouthparts. The thorax bears
appendages used for locomotion. The abdomen contains the majority of the digestive tract, as
well as internal and external organs used for reproduction. Insects play vital roles in various
ecosystems, including pollination, decomposition, and pest control etc .

The concept of taxonomic diversity considers not just the number of species but also their
evolutionary relationships. Some insect groups, like the order Coleoptera (beetles), are
incredibly diverse, containing a large proportion of all insect species.
Insects are fundamental to ecosystem functioning. They pollinate plants, contributing to food
production and plant diversity. They decompose organic matter, recycling nutrients. Many
insects are predators or parasites, helping to control populations of other insects, including
pests. Taxonomic diversity is the variation in the types of insects present, as measured by the
number of different species, genera, families, and orders. The biodiversity consists of three
major parts – genetic diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity (smith 1996).

The biological diversity in other word biological richness is explained in a different ways
according to different authors as – Magurran (2004) defined the biodiversity as a particular area.
He said that biodiversity studies compare the diversity of two different areas and measure the
changes in certain area depending on the number of species.
 In book “The Insects: An Outline of Entomology" by Gullan and Cranston stated that five
“major” orders stand out for their high species richness, the beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera),
wasps, ants, and bees (Hymenoptera), butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), and the true bugs
(Hemiptera).

Series 1
3
Series 2
Series 3
2

0
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4
c

1. is the most diverse order and have hundreds of thousands of species. Example - beetles.
2. Lepidoptera is the second most diverse group, with over 100,000 described species. Example -
Butterflies and Moths
3. Hymenoptera is highly diverse in body morphology and habitat, with more than 100,000
species. Example - Ants, Bees, and Wasps
4. Diptera is major order with over 100,000 species. Example - Flies and Mosquitoes
5. Hemiptera includes true bugs, aphids, cicadas, and leafhoppers, also containing over 100,000
species. Example - True Bugs etc.
6. Orthopteran- They jump with their legs and eat grass.
7. Odanatan, dragonflies and damselflies are predator of other insects.
 8. Grasshoppers
(Orthopteran) - jump
with their
9. Grasshoppers
(Orthopteran) - jump
with their
[Link]
(Orthopteran) - jump
with their

In this study area different insect orders i.e. Lepidoptera, Coleopteran, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera,
Diptera, Orthoptera, Mantodea, Odonata. The total number of actually described insects 9,
65,431 – 10, 15,897 and that of hexapod 9048 (Chapman). The insect community in the habitats
source could affect the species survival and further affect the species composition and
distribution pattern of insect community. In the current condition due to the lack of oxygen level
or may be lack of flying vertebrates it is very difficult to protect the whole world. So the best
method of conservation is to protect the species, communities and their living places (Kocatas,
2004).

The insect is a much potent creature, evolved themselves through a long process of evolution,
from the Devonian period and disperse and adapt themselves to every kind of available habitat
on the earth, from tropics to pole.

Borrer, et al. (1989) provided an introductory text on entomology such as will provide general principles
for collection, preparation, and storage of insect [Link] specimens are prepared and
preserved in a variety of formats depending on a number of factors such as life stage, collecting method,
species group, and/or research objective. These factors determine curation objectives. Storage options
will also depend on the extent and diversity of your collection. In general, insects are collected and/or
stored as dried specimens or in fluids.

The insect possess an amazing diversity in size and shape their ability
to fly help them to defense from enemies and scatter a new environment as

exoskeleton, protective cell etc. They have a fine nervous system that
makes them able to see, hear, taste and feel. Vegetation in this area
are trees, shrubs, crops, fruits crops, grasses, medicinal plants.
The entomofauna are most successful and dominate group in the world they
can survive anywhere due to small size, persistent habit, fecundity, aerial
respiration, food diversity and protective devices etc.

Byrd and Costner (2000) research shows that arthropods are associated with decaying organic matter in
different ways. Insects can be important indicators in a forensic investigation. The proper identification
of the insect and arthropod species of forensic importance is the most crucial element in the field of
forensic entomology. It is the species identification that allows the proper developmental data and
distribution ranges to be applied to an investigation. If the species determination is incorrect, or
otherwise in error, then the estimated post-mortem interval is invalid.

Danks (1987, pp. 10-11) paper presents in contrast to almost unison agreement over the fact that the
insect organism gradually changes as it proceeds through diapauses, there has been much less
consensus among the various authors on the terminology for the successive phases of this process. The
selection of terms used by different authors for various diapauses phases was presented by in his
monograph on insect dormancy.

Schmidt et al. (2008) suggested that several trapping methods are needed to fully describe a guild of
insects that is composed of several insect species with varying life history traits. It is unclear if the same
methods used to describe pest and natural enemy populations will be effective in capturing pollinators
in soybean and if multiple methods are required to obtain an accurate representation of this
community.

Freitas and Silva (2006) collected ‘insect’ specimens, the photographs from wildlife guides, as well as
pamphlets and posters showing pictures of these animals made it possible to carry out interviews
stimulated by the presentation (and representation) of animals depicted in these materials, asking the
respondents about the ‘insects’ they observed (local name and aspects of their biology and ecology),
their impressions and attitudes towards them.
According to Kim et al. (2006) this research is focusing in identify butterflies and ladybugs. The image of
the insects is acquired and noise rejection is processed using colour information method

Suhail (1994) morphology provides a bedrock for all taxonomic work, without which no further
development is possible both in pure and applied fields. Although some work has been done on the
taxonomy of insects.

The main aim of this study is to collect and identify the insect species to
know their diversity richness and abundance in the nearby locality of
Palwal which were collected.
Palwal is located in the southern part of the state of Haryana, India, situated on the National
Capital Region (NCR) and the Delhi-Mathura highway (NH-2) about 60 km from Delhi.
The area is located between the Yamuna River and the Aravalli mountain range and is part of the
Delhi-Agra region.

The present investigation was undertaken from green belt area , fruit
and vegetable market, garden and other nearest locality of Omaxe City of
Palwal closer to city and villages both. Various insect species were
collected from the Omaxe City Palwal in and around between morning
(8:00-10:00) to evening (15:00-17:00) hrs in the month of July to
October to know the diversity of insects in locality . Insects were
collected live from the sampling site by hand picking, shaking or beating
etc. equipment used for collection are Hair brush, Forceps, Stick, Hand net,
Killing bottle. After the collection, insects were transferred into the
killing bottle. A cylindrical glass jar is used to make the killing bottle. The
dead insects use to transfer into boxes for temporary storage. The
sacrificed insects then properly pinned by steel pins and kept for
proper drying. Naphthalene balls are placed inside the insect boxes to
prevent the attack of fungus.
Phylum Arthropoda is Classified in to 7 classes.

1. Onychophora (claw bearing) e.g. Peripatus

2. Crustacea (Crusta - shell) e.g. Prawn, crab, wood louse

3. Arachnida (Arachne - spider) e.g. Scorpion, spider, tick, mite

4. Chilopoda (Chilo - lip; poda - appendage) e.g. Centipedes

5. Diplopoda (Diplo - two; poda- appendage) e.g. Millipede

6. Trilobita (an extinct group)

7. Hexapoda (Hexa- six; poda-legs) or Insecta (In- internal; sect – cut) e.g. Insects.