Aquatic Insects as Biomonitors of Freshwater Ecosystem: A Review

Arundhati Gogoi, Bijeta Ghose Guha

Abstract: Aquatic insects are among the most prolific animals on earth. They are found associated with water for most part of their life cycle, any change in their number and composition in the population at a given time and space may indicate a change in the water quality. This class has many potential representatives that can be used as environmental bioindicators, among which are from the Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera. Water insects or aquatic beetles are biological indicator. The use of bioindicators is essential for environmental monitoring. In this paper an attempt has been made to focus on the importance of aquatic insects as biomonitors of aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords: Aquatic insects, bioindicators, biomonitors, environmental, water quality