o_19ko2dt161ng2j4e1tgnoqv1s45a.pdf

OVERVIEW OF INSECT BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA
TRENDS IN RELATION TO INSECT ORDERS STUDIED
Figure 2 shows the number of dissertations/articles written on the different insect groups in
the four institutions surveyed. About 15 insect orders have been the subject of studies. They
represent slightly less than half of all recognised insect orders. The most researched insect
order was Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), while Neuroptera, Plecoptera, Thysanura and
Collembola were the least studied groups. Other orders that were the focus of much
entomological research were Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Homoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera,
Orthoptera and Isoptera, in decreasing frequency. To some extent, the level of research on the
different orders reflects the size of the order, for example, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera are
the largest and second largest insect orders, respectively. It also reflects their economic
importance in agriculture and forestry, as pests (e.g., many Coleoptera and Hemiptera) or as
beneficial insects (e.g., Hymenoptera). There were also many entomological dissertations /
articles written that were not on any specific insect order; many were comparative studies on
the composition of invertebrate communities in natural and disturbed environments.
General
Lepidoptera
Coleoptera
Hymenoptera
Hom optera
Insect order
Diptera
Hemiptera
Orthoptera
Isoptera
Odonata
Neuroptera
Plecoptera
Collembola
Acarina
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
No. of dissertations / articles
Fig. 2. Numbers of dissertations / articles written on different insect orders in the institutions
surveyed. The category, ‘General,’ refers to dissertations / articles that did not specify a specific
insect order, or that were about invertebrate or insect communities in general. Dissertations /
articles on Acarina (mites) are included for comparison.
AVAILABILITY OF TAXONOMIC INFORMATION ON THE
DIFFERENT INSECT ORDERS
The level of taxonomic information available on several insect orders in Peninsular Malaysia
is compared against the size of the different orders in Table 2. The order Coleoptera (beetles)
is well-known as the most diverse and numerous in the animal kingdom. However, there is a
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