~ 157 ~ Acta Entomology and Zoology 2025; 6(2): 157-165 E-ISSN: 2708-0021 P-ISSN: 2708-0013 www.actajournal.com AEZ 2025; 6(2): 157-165 Received: 10-06-2025 Accepted: 12-07-2025 Animesh Dey Assistant Professor, Ecology & Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Tripura University (A Central University), Suryamani Nagar, West Tripura, India Diptanu Das Ecology & Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Tripura University (A Central University), Suryamani Nagar, West Tripura, India Corresponding Author: Dr. Animesh Dey Assistant Professor Ecology & Biodiversity Laboratory; Department of Zoology, Tripura University (A Central University); Suryamaninagar, West Tripura, India Odonata diversity as a bioindicator of habitat quality in an urban landscape: Insights from Tripura university campus, Northeast India Animesh Dey and Diptanu Das DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33545/27080013.2025.v6.i2c.244 Abstract Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are widely recognised as ecological bioindicators due to their sensitivity to environmental conditions and habitat integrity. This study documents the diversity and community structure of Odonata within the semi-urban landscape of Tripura University campus, Northeast India, over a one-year period (April 2024-March 2025). A total of 33 species belonging to 25 genera and 5 families were recorded, comprising 23 species of Anisoptera and 10 of Zygoptera, representing 44% of the known odonate fauna of Tripura. The family Libellulidae was the most dominant, with Rhyothemis variegata identified as the only eudominant species. Diversity indices, the Shannon index (2.335) and the Simpson index (0.8288), indicated moderate to high diversity, whereas low evenness (0.3129) reflected community dominance by a few generalist species. The presence of both pollution-sensitive and pollution-tolerant taxa highlights habitat heterogeneity and potential anthropogenic impacts. Distribution patterns revealed a predominantly clumped assemblage, linked to habitat patchiness and resource concentration. The results underscore the ecological value of urban green spaces in sustaining odonate biodiversity and provide a baseline for long-term monitoring and regional conservation strategies. Keywords: Odonata diversity, anisoptera, zygoptera, urban ecology, bioindicators, dragonflies, damselflies Introduction The class Insecta represents the most taxonomically diverse group of organisms on Earth, comprising an estimated 5.5 million species and accounting for approximately 75% of all described faunal taxa (Loxdale, 2016; Stork, 2018) [24, 37] . Insects contribute critically to ecosystem functioning through their roles in nutrient cycling, pollination, and trophic regulation, and are increasingly employed as biological indicators due to their sensitivity to environmental perturbations, rapid life cycles, and ease of sampling (Dangles & Casas, 2019; Chowdhury et al., 2023) [7, 6] . Among them, the order Odonata (comprising dragonflies and damselflies) is particularly well-suited for bioassessment owing to its dual reliance on aquatic and terrestrial habitats across larval and adult stages, making it highly responsive to changes in habitat integrity and water quality (de Oliveira-Junior et al., 2015; Júnior et al., 2015; Martín & Maynou, 2016) [9, 17, 28] . Odonates exhibit a cosmopolitan distribution and occupy a wide range of ecological habitats, including freshwater bodies, brackish wetlands, forest margins, marshes, and semi-arid zones (Kalkman et al., 2008) [20] . At the global scale, approximately 6,463 species, representing 687 genera, have been described (Paulson et al., 2025) [32] . Within South Asia, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, a total of 588 odonate taxa (including 559 valid species) have been documented (Kalkman et al., 2020) [19] . India supports a rich odonate fauna, with 488 species, 154 genera, and 18 families (Subramanian & Babu, 2017) [38] . In the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, initial inventories recorded 37 species (Srivastava & Sinha, 2000) [36] , which were later expanded by 25 species (Majumder et al., 2014) [27] . The most recent checklist now includes 75 species across 49 genera comprising 28 genera under Anisoptera and 21 under Zygoptera, distributed among nine families (Datta et al., 2023) [8] . Odonates serve as valuable proxies for assessing ecological health and habitat degradation, particularly in systems impacted by anthropogenic stressors such as pollution, urbanisation,