Endemism, Similarity and Difference in Montane Evergreen Forest Biodiversity Hotspots: Comparing Communities of Empidoidea (Insecta: Diptera) in the Summit Zones of Doi Inthanon and Doi Phahompok, Thailand
Keywords:
conservation, Brachystomatidae, Dolichopodidae, Empididae, HybotidaeAbstract
Composition and structure of communities of the Diptera superfamily Empidoidea (30,481 individuals of 511 species in 55 genera in the families Empididae, Dolichopodidae, Hybotidae and Brachystomatidae) were compared in Upper Montane Forests on Doi Inthanon and Doi Phahompok in northern Thailand. Based on taxon similarity (α-, β-diversity), structural diversity (the species abundance distribution and importance of dominant species), cluster analysis of community composition and the relative importance of inferred Oriental and Palaearctic influences, it was concluded that communities in Upper Montane Forest at 2,036 – 2,105 m near the summit of Doi Phahompok were most similar to those at 1,639 – 2,210 m on Doi Inthanon. Approximately 33% of species recorded at 2,036 – 2,105 m on Doi Phahompok were endemic to the mountain. Upper Montane Forest is a rare, dispersed and isolated habitat in southeastern Asia with scattered patches likely to experience comparable levels of β-diversity and endemism as found here. The conservation importance of Upper Montane Forest on Doi Phahompok and on other mountains in northern Thailand is stressed. The upper slopes of Doi Inthanon (>2,200 m) are reaffirmed as a unique haven of endemic species and distinctive Empidoidea communities in a habitat judged to be of utmost conservation interest.
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