Diversity and distribution of forest canopy Coleoptera on eastern Viti Levu, Fiji Islands.

Abstract

In Fiji, few systematic studies have been conducted that describe insect distributions, especially with respect to ecological gradients (e.g., habitat type, climate, altitude, and seasonality) that are known to influence their diversity and distribution. In this study, canopy coleopteran assemblages within undisturbed forest in eastern Viti Levu, Fiji, were intensively surveyed over a range of geographical locations and altitudes, namely lowland Nakobalevu (200–400 m), upland Waisoi (400–600 m) and cloud montane forest Monasavu (600–1000 m). Dominant beetle families sampled from the canopy included Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae and Staphylinidae. Multidimensional scaling revealed a division in the canopy beetle assemblages between lowland forest (<400 m), upland forest (400–600 m) and cloud montane forests (600–1 000 m). We tentatively conclude that diversity was highest at mid-to-high altitudes represented at Monasavu. Direct Gradient Analysis (RDA) indicated that 49% of data variability was explained by two axes that represented altitude and seasonality respectively.