Corresponding author: Alexander Putchkov (
Academic editor: Hans Turin
A review of the ground beetles of the Ukrainian fauna is given. Almost 750 species from 117 genera of
The first published observations of ground beetles in the Ukraine appeared at the end of 18th / beginning of the 19th century (
At present, there are more than 1000 literature sources that concern the general biology, systematic and ecology of ground beetle species, recorded from the territory of present-day Ukraine. The checklist of
The aim of the present paper is to summarise all available data from literature sources and collections and to provide an overview of the present-day species composition and distribution of ground beetles in the Ukraine.
The complete list of
A map of certain geographic regions of the Ukraine:
Ground beetles (
The ground beetle fauna of TL and CM are most diverse in the Ukraine (ca 330 and 400 species from 75 genera were found here, respectively) (
The approximate number of genera and species of Carabidae in certain geographic regions of the Ukraine.
|
|
|||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
1. |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
2. |
|
|
|
2/6 | 2/6 |
|
2/8 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
|
2/4 | 2/2 | 1/3 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
3. |
|
|
|
1/6 | 1/4 |
|
1/6 | 1/6 | 1/7 |
|
1/5 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/4 | 1/2 |
|
4. |
|
|
|
2/14 | 2/18 |
|
2/30 | 2/21 | 2/23 |
|
2/22 | 2/19 | 2/17 | 2/16 | 2/11 |
|
5. |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | – | – | – | – |
|
6. |
|
|
|
2/5 | 2/3 |
|
2/5 | 2/4 | 2/6 |
|
1/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/2 |
|
7. |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
– | – | – | – | – |
|
8. |
|
|
|
– | – |
|
– | – | – |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|
9. |
|
|
|
1/2 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
|
10. |
|
|
|
1/10 | 1/10 |
|
1/16 | 1/12 | 1/15 |
|
1/14 | 1/16 | 1/25 | 1/20 | 1/22 |
|
11. |
|
|
|
1/2 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|
12. |
|
|
|
– | – |
|
– | – | 1/1 |
|
– | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
13. |
|
|
|
6/7 | 6/6 |
|
6/9 | 6/6 | 4/4 |
|
3/3 | 3/3 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
|
14. |
|
|
|
2/2 | 2/2 |
|
2/4 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
|
2/2 | 1/2 | 2/4 | 2/5 | 2/6 |
|
15. |
|
|
|
2/38 | 2/31 |
|
2/57 | 2/36 | 2/33 |
|
2/28 | 2/28 | 2/30 | 2/31 | 35 |
|
16. |
|
|
|
– | – |
|
– | 1/1 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/8 | 3/11 | 3/14 | 3/13 |
|
17. |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
– | – | – | – | – |
|
18. |
|
|
|
– | – |
|
– | – | – |
|
– | – | – | – | – |
|
19. |
|
|
|
5/24 | 5/23 |
|
6/30 | 5/22 | 4/21 |
|
4/18 | 4/21 | 3/19 | 3/19 | 3/18 |
|
20. |
|
|
|
3/7 | 2/7 |
|
3/8 | 2/6 | 2/6 |
|
3/5 | 3/5 | 3/8 | 3/10 | 3/10 |
|
21. |
|
|
|
8/28 | 7/26 |
|
8/28 | 7/21 | 7/21 |
|
5/14 | 5/12 | 5/15 | 4/13 | 3/12 |
|
22. |
|
|
|
3/33 | 3/33 |
|
3/36 | 3/31 | 3/33 |
|
3/28 | 3/25 | 3/28 | 3/33 | 3/35 |
|
23. |
|
|
|
9/49 | 8/46 |
|
10/64 | 8/50 | 8/68 |
|
11/72 | 10/75 | 14/ca 100 | 14/ca 110 | 16/ca 120 |
|
24. |
|
|
|
– | – |
|
– | – | – |
|
– | – | – | – | 1/1 |
|
25 |
|
|
|
1/2 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/1 |
|
26 |
|
|
|
2/7 | 2/6 |
|
2/9 | 3/9 | 3/9 |
|
3/10 | 3/10 | 3/14 | 4/15 | 4/14 |
|
27 |
|
|
|
1/2 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|
28 |
|
|
|
2/7 | 2/10 |
|
2/9 | 2/8 | 2/10 |
|
2/9 | 2/9 | 2/9 | 2/8 | 2/7 |
|
29 |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | – |
|
– | – | – | 1/1 | – |
|
30. |
|
|
|
– | – |
|
– | – | – |
|
– | 1/1 | 1/1 | – | ||
31 |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
32 |
|
|
|
8/19 | 8/18 |
|
9/25 | 8/15 | 8/20 |
|
8/18 | 8/17 | 8/26 | 8/30 | 8/35 |
|
33 |
|
|
|
1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/1 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
|
34 |
|
|
|
– | 1/1 |
|
– | – | 1/1 |
|
1/1 | 1/2 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/2 |
|
35 |
|
|
|
1/2 | 1/1 |
|
2/3 | 2/4 | 1/3 |
|
2/4 | 2/5 | 2/10 | 2/11 | 2/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
70/280 | 69/265 |
|
73/365 | 69/275 | 65/310 |
|
64/273 | 63/275 | 68/ca 340 | 70/ca 360 | 70/ca 370 |
|
The fauna of forest areas of the Ukraine is represented by no less than 300 species from 70 genera and is characterized by considerable similarity in species composition in all separate regions and zones (
Ground beetles of the present-day forest-steppe zone are represented by nearly 400 species from 75 genera (
The ground beetle fauna of the steppe area of the Ukraine is the richest in species diversity and is characterized by the presence of approximately 450 species from 76 genera (
The ground beetle fauna of the steppe area of NLS is similar as a whole to that of the NRS; however it is characterized at the same time by the predominance of typical steppe taxa. Only the district of the Donetskyi heights (ridge) is characterized by more mesophilous elements including polytopic and forest species (some
The southern steppe subzone (SRS and SLS) is characterized by the prevalence of xerophilous and mesoxerophilous species from the tribes
The majority of littoral and halophilous species (tribes
Quite specific, although poor in species number (no more than 100), is the carabid fauna of sandy habitats in the lowlands of Dnieper River (Kherson region, Oleshie). It is represented by both typical steppe species and psammophilous and some semi-desert elements (
The ground beetle fauna of the Crimean Peninsula is one of the most specific in the Ukraine (about 390 species from 74 genera). There are some typical inhabitants of steppe and halophitic biotopes of the plains of Crimea (near 370 species):
The fauna of MC (no less than 280 species from 68 genera) has quite a different composition from that of the plain regions of the Crimea (
Special attention should be paid to the fauna of anthropogenic landscapes of the Ukraine. In agricultural habitats, the species composition of ground beetles is relatively uniform throughout the different geographical regions. Agrocenoses are generally poor in species richness consisting of some 70–100 widely distributed common species, but the abundance of some of these is much higher than in natural biotopes. The core faunal composition consists of approximately 20 widespread (mainly polytopic) species from the genera
Currently ten species of ground beetles (
Rare and little-known species of
|
|
|
|
|
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Crimea Mnts, beech forest | 20 | south-east, steppe | ||
2 | Carpathian, subalpine zone | 21 | Crimea Mnts, subalpine zone | ||
3 | Carpathian, subalpine zone | 22 | south steppe | ||
4 | forest zone, swampy | 23 | forest zone | ||
5 | west Ukraine, forest | 24 | south steppe | ||
6 | west -south part, Carpathian, forest zone | 25 | East Crimea, steppe | ||
7 | north of Ukraine, forest | 26 | south steppe | ||
8 | Carpathian, alpine zone | 27 | south steppe | ||
9 | Forest and east of forest steppe zones, Crimea | 28 | south-east, littoral | ||
10 | south steppe | 29 | forest zone, swampy | ||
11 | south steppe | 30 | forest zone, swampy | ||
12 | Carpathian, subalpine zone | 31 | forest and forest-steppe zones | ||
13 | caves of CrimeaMnts | 32 | Crimea mnts, beech’s forest | ||
14 | Carpathian, subalpine zone | 33 | sand of south steppe (Kherson reg.) | ||
15 | Carpathian, subalpine zone | 34 | south steppe | ||
16 | Crimea Mnts, near streams | 35 | south steppe, Crimea | ||
17 | Crimea Mnts, near streams | 36 | south steppe, Crimea | ||
18 | south-east, halobiont | 37 | south-west, forest zone | ||
19 | south-east, steppe | 38 | south-west region |
I conclude that the overall species composition of the ground beetle fauna of the Ukraine is well studied. Therefore, finding new taxa in any part of the Ukraine is not likely to happen in the near future. Regions where new taxa for the Ukraine could be found are mainly boundary regions of the country (the Carpathians, Crimea, north and east regions), as well as in errors of some findings in the past (for example, mis-identifications of some taxa or species with wrong labels).
Poorly answered questions that remain include the origins of carabid fauna of the Ukraine. Moreover it is necessary to study the preimaginal stages of ground beetles. For example the larvae of only 360 species from 86 genera are described, representing only 45% of carabid species from the Ukraine. Further studies on the bionomics of single species require urgent attention. This applies in particular to ecologically related, non-competitive species occurring in common biotopes, e.g. many littoral species of
The author would like to thank Dr. T. Markina (Kharkov) for valuable material and help during the preparation of this work. I am grateful to Drs. V. Rizun (Lviv), I. Belousov and B. Kataev (St. Peterburg) for their comments on the geographical distribution of
Checklist of ground beetle species recorded from the Ukraine. (doi:
Copyright notice: This dataset is made available under the Open Database License (