Diversity of Macro Invertebrates and Their Habitat Characteristics in Lan-Kuu Freshwater Wetland, Myanmar

Abstract

Lan-Kuu freshwater wetland of Auk SaThar in Mingin Township, Sagaing Region was investigated for its species composition, relative abundance, and diversity of aquatic macro-invertebrates from June 2020 to January 2021. This wetland has water throughout the year and is used by many local people for fishing and trapping birds. Thirty macro invertebrates’ species belonging to 28 genera, 19 families, 11 orders, 5 classes, and 3 Phyla were identified and recorded. These species belonged to the orders Hemiptera (23%), Coeleoptera and Odonata (14% each), Orthoptera, Architaenioglossa and Sorbeoconcha (10% each), Lepidoptera (7%), and Hymenoptera, Araneae, Decapoda, and Opithopora (3%). Among the collected specimens Dytiscus verticalis accounted for the highest number of individuals while the least number of individuals were Arocatus rusticus. Average relative abundance indicated 9 species as ‘uncommon’, 14 species as ‘common’ and 7 species as very common in the studied wetland. According to the Shannon index, the diversity of macro-invertebrates recorded in Lan-Kuu freshwater wetland, Myanmar, was high, (2.746-3.016), and so was the evenness (0.888-0.956).