DIVERSITY OF Vanda tricolor Lindl. (ORCHIDACEAE) FLOWER-VISITING INSECTS IN THE TURGO HILL OF MOUNT MERAPI NATIONAL PARK, YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA

Vanda tricolor is an orchid species native to the Mount Merapi National Park, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The study of interaction flower-visiting insect is important to support in situ conservation program. The purpose of this research wasto study the diversity of Vanda tricolor Lind. flower-visiting insects and their roles in The Turgo Hill of Mount Merapi National Park. Flower-visiting insect was captured in the morning (08.00-10.00 AM), daytime (00.00-02.00 PM) and afternoon (04.00-06.00 PM). Data were taken four times in November 2011 during the flowering season. Insect samples were preserved by dried and wet phase. Sample identification was done in the Entomology Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada. The results indicated that Vanda tricolor flowers were visited by insects from three orders, six families, and eleven species in the morning; four orders, six families, and nine species in the daytime; and two orders, three families, and five species in the afternoon with various role. In this research, we also observed pollination activity potential by Xylocopa latipes (Hymenoptera: Apidae). There were 14 V. tricolor flower-visiting insects from four orders and nine families. There were no significant differences between the insect diversity of the morning and daytime, while in the afternoon there was a decline in the diversity of the insects. Keywords : Vanda tricolor, flower-visiting insects, Turgo Hill of Mount Merapi National Park