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The dominant group of species collected by pitfall traps or by
direct picking was the darkling beetles of the family Tenebrionidae. This
family includes thousands of species worldwide of which several hundreds
were recorded in Arabia. Therefore, it was expected to find a very high
number of species of this family in Rum area.
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Moths were the dominant group of insects collected by light traps.
Moths are mostly nocturnal species. About 2000 species of moths are known
to occur in the area (Jordan and Palestine). Many of the collected species
were not identified to the species level, especially the micro-Lepidoptera
due to the lack of available literature in our libraries concerning the
identification of this group.
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Many of the collected species were beneficial species. For example,
the dragonflies Orthetrum chrysostigma and Trithemis artereosa are
predators on some pests such as mosquitoes. Dragonflies are important
components of any aquatic ecosystem whether in their larval or adult
stage.
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Ground beetles of the family Carabidae such as Anthia
(Thermophilum) duodecimguttata, Glaphipterus serrator , Glaphipterus
minutes and, Scarites guineensis are also predators on other arthropods
and are important in regulating the populations of their preys. In
addition, ground beetles have been used extensively in ecological studies
and are good ecological indicators. Their presence is an evidence of the
presence of a variety of prey species that feed on a variety of plant or
animal material.
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Dung beetles of the family Scarabaeidae such as Scarabaeus sacer
and Scarabaeus puncticollis clean the environment by burying the animal
dung and feeding their larvae on it, accelerating its decomposition and
recycling its elements.
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Many species of the darkling beetles of the family Tenebrionidae
feed on organic materials and help in recycling this matter. Also these
beetles are important in the food chain since they are preys for many
birds and reptiles and other arthropods.
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Several species of bees help in pollinating trees and other plants
in the reserve in addition of being food for some birds.
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Several species collected in this study were found as pest species.
For example, Musca domestica (the house fly), Periplaneta americana (the
American cockroach), Blattella germanica, (the German cockroach), several
mosquito species including Anopheles superpictus, an important vector for
Malaria.
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Beetles of the family Dermestidae, Desmestes lardaius (Larder
beetle) and Necrobis rufipes (Khapra beetle) are found in nature feeding
on dead animals, but they are concerned as potential pests for stored
products.
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Scorpions may be of some danger to the local people or to the
tourists but educating people about the habits of scorpions and taking
some precautionary measures may reduce any unexpected danger. These
measures include inspecting shoes in the morning before putting them on;
shaking clothes before wearing them, use of screens on windows and use of
rubber or sponge boards at the base of doors.
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Not all the collected specimens were identified to the specific
level, but only those species for which we found relevant literature to
their identification were determined.
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Study results and conclusions showed that the Rum protected area is
an important macroinvertebrates area, supporting a wide spectrum of
species inhabiting the microhabitats there. It should be mentioned here
that wadi Rum protected area comprises a unique configuration that cannot
be seen elsewhere. This unique configuration is due to combinations of
different
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landscape constituents of the area, such as the precipitous
sandstone rocky elements, soft sandy soil, and the hard soil.
