Entomofaunal Diversity of Diptera at FELDA Besout 6 Oil Palm Plantation

A study on diversity and abundance of Diptera was conducted for six consecutive months in oil palm plantation located in Felda Besout 6. Traps used in this study ware Malaise traps which been installed in three different study sites in the oil palm area. A total number of 2381 Dipterans were succesfully collected comprising seven families and 37 morphospecies during this study. Margin area recorded the highest number of Diptera collected with 905 individuals (seven families, 33 morphospecies) collected while the beneficial plants recorded the least abundant of Diptera with 615 individuals (seven families, 32 morphospecies). Cecidomyiidae was the most abundant family with 1551 individuals followed by the Culicidae, Chironomidae, Tephritidae, Tachinidae, Muscidae and Tipulidae with 480, 203, 55, 43, 43 and 6 respectively. Based on Shannon-Wiener Index (H’), all study sites (margin of an oil palm plantation, the beneficial plants and the interior of an oil palm plantation did not differ significantly with P> 0.05 with respectively recorded value (H’= 2.641), (H’= 2.569) and (H’= 2.504). The study showed that diversity and abundance of Diptera was higher in the margin of FELDA BESOUT 6 compared to the interior of the oil palm plantation and the beneficial plants.