A Further New Steppe Ground Beetle Species for the Bulgarian Fauna: Amara (Parapercosia) taurica (Motschulsky, 1845) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Аppeared in the Karst Refugium of the Chepan Planina Mountain

Amara (Parapercosia) taurica (Motschulsky, 1845) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) is a rare ground beetle found sporadically through the virgin steppes of Southeastern Europe, Caucasus, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the south of Western Siberia. This study reports the first record of this steppe species in Bulgaria. One male specimen was collected by a pitfall trap in the Chepan Planina Mountain (part of the Western Stara Planina Mts.) in central-western Bulgaria, in the period July–September 2023. In addition, 14 other members of the family Carabidae were found during the same study. Of them, Cymindis axillaris is recorded for the first time from the Western Stara Planina Mts. This study is also the second record of Ophonus parallelus in the Stara Planina Mts. The relatively low anthropogenic pressure in the studied habitat and the adjacent areas is believed be a crucial factor for the survival of vulnerable steppe elements, including A. taurica.