Family-Level Diversity and Dominance of Arthropod Natural Enemies in Maize in Eastern Indonesia

Abstract

Natural enemies are important components of maize agroecosystems because they help regulate insect pests naturally and support ecologically based integrated pest management. This study evaluated the family-level diversity and dominance of arthropod natural enemies associated with maize (Zea mays L.) in Laha Village, Teluk Ambon District, Maluku, eastern Indonesia. Field sampling was conducted during October-November 2025 using pitfall traps, yellow sticky traps, and sweep nets over 12 observation periods. Community structure was evaluated using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H') and Simpson dominance index (D). A total of 570 natural-enemy individuals representing nine taxonomic families from six orders were included in the community analysis. Tachinidae was the most abundant family, comprising 312 individuals (54.74% of the total collection). The Shannon-Wiener diversity index was H' = 1.36427, indicating moderate family-level diversity according to the classification adopted in the study. The Simpson dominance index was D = 0.36076, indicating an uneven distribution of individuals among families, primarily associated with the numerical predominance of Tachinidae. The simultaneous occurrence of parasitoid and predatory arthropods demonstrates that the maize agroecosystem supports multiple functional groups of natural enemies. However, numerical abundance alone does not demonstrate actual pest suppression. These findings provide baseline information on natural-enemy community structure in maize agroecosystems of Maluku and emphasize the importance of further species-level identification and direct assessment of predation and parasitism to determine their contribution to biological control.