RAFI et al.: Population density, diversity and distributional pattern....in Central and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India ISSN 0375-1511165 Rec. zool. Surv. India : 114(Part-1) : 165-176, 2014 POPULATION DENSITY, DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONAL PATTERN OF GRASSHOPPER FAUNA (ACRIDIDAE: ACRIDOIDEA: ORTHOPTERA) IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA UZMA RAFI, *MOHD. KAMILUSMANI, MOHD. HUMAYOON AKHTAR, MOHD. RASHID NAYEEM Section of Entomology, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202 002, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email:
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[email protected] INTRODUCTION around 25°C and the minimum is 7-9°C. Fog is Uttar Pradesh is bounded by Nepal on the quite common from late December to late January. North, Uttarakhand on the north-east, Himachal Summers are extremely hot with temperatures Pradesh on the north-west, Haryana on the west, rising to the 40 to 45°C. Rajasthan on the south-west, Madhya Pradesh Orthoptera is one of the largest Orders on the south and south-west,Chhattisgarh and of insects having suborder Caelifera (short Jharkhand on south and Bihar on the east. Situated horned grasshoppers and Ensifera (long horned between 23°52’N and 31°28’N latitudes and 77°3’ grasshoppers). Caelifera comprises eight super and 84°39’E longitudes, it is the fi fth largest state families and out of them Acridoidea and in the country in terms of area, and the fi rst in terms Pyrgomorphoidea are commonly found in of populationand can be divided into three regions, India. Out of eleven families of Acridoidea, Eastern, Central and Western Uttar Pradesh. The Acrididae, Pamphagidae, Romaleidae and eastern Uttar Pradesh having twenty-fi ve districts, Tristidae commonly distributed in India, known located between 24.0 to 27.340 N latitudes and as grasshoppers and locust.