Research on assessment of the diversity and similarity of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in the Northwest region

Abstract

There have been many research works on cicadas of the Cicadidae, but they have only researched and evaluated diversity in a conservation area, or a national park in the Northwest, without a comprehensive study on them. In this study, the authors have collected and used biodiversity indices to calculate biodiversity indexes of cicadas in the Northwest region. Results showed that the cicada species in the Cicadidae had the highest diversity in the old-growth forest ecosystem, decreasing gradually in the secondary forest ecosystem and the lowest in the secondary forest ecosystem. The species composition of the Cicadidae at an altitude above 1,000 m is more diverse than that at an altitude below 1,000 m (the difference is statistically significant). At the elevation above 1,600 m, the species composition is small but endemic to the Northwest region.