Research on insect biodiversity in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems of Central Asia remains limited, hindering the development of effective insect conservation strategies and integrated pest management (IPM) programs. This study examined insect community structure, diversity, and seasonal dynamics across three habitat types in Kekedala City, in the autonomous region of Ili Kazakh, Xinjiang, China. Solar-powered ultraviolet LED light traps (350–420 nm) were used for sampling from April to August 2024. A total of 63,090 individuals of 83 species, 57 families and 72 genera of insects were collected. Diversity indices calculated using the complete species dataset showed highest diversity in the riparian corridor (L3: H′ = 3.42, D = 0.962, S = 62), intermediate diversity in the agro-horticultural garden (L2: H′ = 3.18, D = 0.948, S = 54), and lowest diversity in the xerophytic shrubland (L1: H′ = 2.97, D = 0.935, S = 47). A supplementary analysis targeted a shared core assemblage of 17 species, defined as taxa captured at all three sampling sites with cumulative total abundances ranging from 50 to 100 individuals. This subset exhibited near-uniform diversity metrics across habitats (H′ = 2.83, D = 0.941, Pielou’s evenness J′ ≈ 1.0), a pattern driven by the prevalence of habitat generalists rather than capturing site-specific full community diversity. Two abundant pest species, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1808) (cotton bollworm, 5209 individuals, 8.3% of total) and Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus, 1758) (rhinoceros beetle, 5206 individuals, 8.2% of total), both peaked in abundance in July–August; O. rhinoceros is associated with local ornamental and date palm plantings in the study area. In total, 15 major pest species were recorded. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA barcoding confirmed two new national insect records for China: Stethoconus pyri (Mella, 1861) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Pinacoplus didymogramma (Hampson, 1907) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). This study provides the first comprehensive baseline inventory of the insect fauna of Kekedala City. Descriptive ordination analyses suggest that habitat vegetation complexity may exert a stronger filtering effect on insect assemblage composition than the relatively small seasonal variation in temperature and humidity observed during the sampling period. As only a single trap was deployed within each habitat with no within-site replication, all cross-habitat community patterns reported herein are strictly descriptive and require validation via replicated field sampling in future research.

In this study, we investigated Acridoidea species and their populations in the grasslands managed by 13 divisions of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (hereafter referred to as the Corps) during 2022–2024. We analyzed how the Corps’ grassland habitats influenced Acridoidea diversity. Using the netting method, we collected 5290 Acridoidea specimens, representing eight families, 37 genera, and 83 species. The Acridoidea were most abundant in mountain meadows and temperate grasslands, with 42 and 43 species, respectively, while the species richness in temperate desert grasslands and temperate steppe desert grasslands was comparably high. The highest diversity index of Acridoidea was recorded in temperate grasslands (3.053), followed by mountain meadows (2.563). Regarding altitude, the diversity index was highest in the 1000–1500 m range (3.237), followed by 500–1000 m (2.976) and 1500–2000 m (2.867). However, above 1500 m, the diversity index began to decline. The Acridoidea species diversity was significantly positively correlated with the average temperatures of the wettest and warmest seasons, as well as with precipitation levels during the wettest and driest months. The dominant grassland Acridoidea species were primarily distributed in areas with low-to-medium-low soil erodibility. These findings indicate that grassland types, elevation, temperature, humidity, and soil erodibility significantly influence Acridoidea habitats, survival, reproduction, and feeding behaviors, ultimately shaping their composition, distribution, and abundance across different habitats.