Abstract: The arthropod community structure and temporal dynamics in spring corn fields were investigated with sweeping net and visual observationwith the aim to strengthen the protection and utilization of natural enemies and the rational control of corn pests. A total of 7632 arthropods was collected in the survey, which were identified to 70 species in 66 genera, 45 familiies, 12 orders, and 3 classes. Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) and Zygina salina Mit are the dominant pest species in the region. The dominant species of natural enemies are Hippodamia Variegata (Goeze), Propiylaea quatuordecimpunctata (L.), Neoscone doenitzi (Boes. et Str.), Chrysopa sinica Tjeder, and Hippodamia tredecimpunctata (L.). The index N, H', J' and D of phytophagous subcommunity in the spring corn fields in northern Xinjiang was similar to the whole community. Outbreak of the dominant pest species O. furnacalis and Z. salina caused significant changes in the characteristic index of the arthropod community and was the main factor affecting the community stability. The principal component analysis showed that species number and population size of predatory arthropods and species number of phytophagous arthropods cumulatively contributed 61.47% to the community abundance, which was the dominant factors affecting the arthropod community structure dynamics in the corn field. The grey system analysis showed a close connection of the population size of the dominant species of natural enemies P. quatuordecimpunctata, N. doenitzi and C. sinica with that of dominant pest species O. furnacalis and Z. salina, with correlation degree of 0.7719 and 0.8778, 0.7898 and 0.8309, 0.9637 and 0.8312. Our results show that the population dynamics of natural enemies obviously follow those of the insect pests, which is of great significance for reasonable protection and utilization of natural enemies to management corn pests.

Key words: Xinjiang, spring sowing corn, arthropods, community characteristics, predatory natural enemy