Documentation of Aquatic Beetles in Newtown Ecopark, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India (2023-2024)

Study Extent

This study focused on documenting the aquatic beetles found in New Town Ecopark, which is located in the district of North 24 Parganas and spans approximately 480 acres (including a 104 acres waterbody with an island in the middle). The region exhibits diverse land use patterns, encompassing marshlands, lakes, ponds, grasslands, a butterfly garden, and a man-made forest patch. Additionally, the site boasts a substantial number of landscape gardens.

Sampling

Light Trapping and Net Trapping

Method steps

1. Each sampling session consists of 5 to 10 sweeps reaching a maximum depth of 1 meter. The equipment and materials utilized in this study includes a D-frame net with a mesh size of 0.5mm, Leica EZ4E Stereo Microscope, Ocean Star Digital pH meter for measuring pH, Ocean Star digital conductivity meter, Divinext 0-100 Erma Hand Refractometer

All species have been identified at either the species or genus level. A comprehensive tally of 13 species was documented belonging to 3 separate families under order coleoptera.

1. Coleoptera
   common name: Beetle rank: order

The research was conducted in Newtown Ecopark, located in the North 24 Pargannas district. This ecological site spans approximately 480 acres (including a 104 acres waterbody with an island in the middle) and encompasses various habitats, including grassland, man-made urban forest, butterfly garden, marshland, and wetland.