Diversity and Distributional Pattern of Grasshoppers Fauna in Agroforest and Vegetative Lands of Tehsil Havelian, Pakistan

Abstract Grasshoppers are one of the most varied group of insects. They belong to phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta and order Orthoptera. Ensifera and Caelifera are two common suborders of the order Orthoptera. The current study was carried out to explore the diversity and distribution of grasshoppers in Tehsil Havelian, District Abbottabad, KPK. Field survey was conducted in 19 localities of Tehsil Havelian from August 2022 to October 2022. Environmental parameters like Temperature and Humidity were also measured. Total 400 specimens were collected from Tehsil Havelian by using Sweep Netting method and Handpicking method and were preserved in the Zoological Museum of Hazara University Mansehra. This study revealed 18 species, 14 genera and 3 families belonging to 2 sub-orders of Orthoptera. Species identified during present research includes: Acrida cinerea, Acrida exaltata, Aiolopus thalassinus, Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus, Oedaleus decorus, Oedaleus senegalensis, Oxya hyla, Oxya japonica, Oxya velox, Patanga succincta, Spathosternum prasiniferum, Trilophidiini annulate, Atractomorpha crenulate, Chrotogonus trachypterus, Conocephalus maculatus, Himertula kinneari, Mecopoda elongate and Phaneroptera gracilis. The most common species recorded in Tehsil Havelian was Spathosternum prasiniferum. Moreover, Acrididae was the most common family and Pyrogomorphidae was recorded as least common family in Tehsil Havelian.