Arthropod Diversity of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Ebonyi Waste to Wealth Company Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was designed to determine the diversity of arthropods in Ebonyi State waste to wealth Abakaliki, a municipal waste site (MWS) in Abakaliki where solid wastes of all sorts are deposited. The arthropod specimens were analysed using standard entomological technique of sweep net, pitfall traps and malaise trap respectively. Arthropod species identification was done morphologically at insect Museum Ahmed Bello University in Zaria. A total of 2000 arthropod specimens were collected comprising 8 orders, 18 families and 28 species. The most abundant species in diversity is Bengalia gallard 208 (10.4) followed by Musca domestica 205(10.2). Out of the 2000 individual species of arthropods collected from MSW dump site in Abakaliki, Diptera (48.30) and Hymenoptera (39.12) were the most prevalent while Dermaptera were the least in abundance. Four insect species were heterometabolic including medically important species, Blattela sp. (Blattodea). Insect Order Diversity in Respect to traps used for collection showed that pitfall trap with the total of 854 insects recorded the highest and Hymenoptera (43.2) recording the highest frequency. Shannon Weiner's Diversity Index of Insect Orders revealed that Diptera (0.48) had the highest diversity. Determination of the arthropod diversity in MSW will help in the control of possible vector borne disease epidemics especially in areas where there is no awareness of disease to its vector transmission.