INSECT SPECIES COMPOSITION AND ABUNDANCE IN THE NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY AND AMASSOMA COMMUNITY

Abstract

This study investigates the composition and relative abundance of insect species inhabiting the ecosystems of Niger Delta University and the surrounding Amassoma community, located in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, over a period of five months from May 15 to October 15, 2020. A total of 7,225 individual insects were collected using five sampling methods: sweep nets, aerial nets, pitfall traps, light traps, and direct collection by hand, across four sites. The collected insects were identified into 8 orders, 24 families, and 32 species. Among the most abundant species, Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) represented 58.74% of the total, followed by Dorylus (Diptera: Formicidae), which constituted 26.12%. Six insect species, including *Libellula pulchella* (Odonata: Libellidae), *Danaus plexippus* (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), and *Spodoptera exampta* (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), had relatively low abundances ranging from 1.24% to 1.68%. Twenty-six families showed even lower species numbers, with *Hypenas cabra* (Erebidae), *Labidomera clivicollis* (Chrysomelidae), and *Coccinnella sp.* (Coccinellidae) being among the least abundant, with populations ranging from 0.043% to 0.05%. The study confirms the rich insect biodiversity within the Niger Delta University and its host community, providing a baseline for future studies on the impact of environmental pollution, particularly from oil activities, on insect species richness in the region.