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Aquatic insects are an important group in aquatic ecosystems. Most are abundant and diverse individuals with long life cycles. They play different roles in the food chain, such as processors of organic matter and food from higher levels. They can be found in different aquatic microhabitats. Their varying levels of sensitivity, life spans, and easy collection allow us to identify changes due to environmental disturbances. The objectives of this work were to identify the aquatic insect community and determine whether physicochemical parameters influence aquatic insects associated with leaf litter in La Colorada stream in Juan Díaz, Antón, Coclé province, Panama. This research was conducted from January to June 2023, establishing six stations along the stream, where a leaf litter sample was collected once a month. Physical parameters were also measured using a multiparameter, at each of the stations. In addition, insect diversity was determined using the Margalef and Shannon-Wiener index. A total of 8,979 individuals were identified, distributed across 7 orders, 21 families, and 33 genera, with the most abundant orders being: Díptera, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera y Coleóptera. The families with the greatest abundance were Chironomidae, Leptophlebiidae, Caenidae, Ceratopogonidae y Elmidae. The most abundant subfamilies were: Chironominae, Orthocladinae y Tanypodinae. The most representative genres were: Farrodes, Caenis, Probezzia, Microcylloepus y Phylloicus. The index Shannon-Wiener found that the stream has excellent water quality and a good relative diversity, as obtained using the Margalef index. We conclude that La Colorada Stream in Juan Díaz supports a community with a good diversity of aquatic insects associated with leaf litter. Furthermore, physicochemical parameters do influence the aquatic insect community.
