ABSTRACT

The organisms utilizing decaying palm trunks in Awom na Ebo and Umuokrika towns in Abia and Imo States respectively were accessed between the months of August and November, 2010. A total of 734 organisms, both vertebrates and invertebrates were collected. Species from class Insect were most numerous. They comprised 222.7 degree on the pie chart followed by fungi community which had 95.1 while the vertebrates (squirrel and rat) recorded the least value of 4.9. The invertebrates were visitors to the decaying palm trunks most probably in search of food and shelter. The insects encountered were of orders Coleoptera, Isoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. The insect groups include Jhynchophoru.v phoenicis, Orycies monoceros and 0. wariensis, Macrolermes, species (termites), carpenter ants, bag moths, Te,nnoschioia species and Earwig. Rhynchophorus phoenicis (larvae and adults) outnumbered every other insect species both in the field and laboratory environment. However, the study revealed that the organisms occurred mostly in the field (wild) than the ones in the laboratory environment. These species can be used by man (Jhynchophorus) for his own need and others for his farm animals. They would go a long way in improving the protein supply thus solving protein deficiency in diets.