Fauna and ecological peculiarities of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) on the territory of the «Dubovyi Rynok» Nature Monument (Krasnodar Krai)

The article presents the results of the study of ground beetle biodiversity (Coleoptera, Carabidae) on the territory of the natural monument in the «Dubovyi Rynok» tract. The role of different functional groups of ground beetles in maintaining the stability of natural ecosystems is evaluated. The ecological and faunistic composition of the family was considered. A total of 39 species of Carabidae belonging to 20 genera and 12 tribes were found. Among them, species were classified by frequency of occurrence: regularly occurring species in biotopes, episodically and extremely rare. Twelve dominant species have been identified that determine the structure and functioning of the tardigrade communities (Calathus fuscipes Goeze, 1777; C. melanocephalus Linnaeus, 1758; C. distinguendus Chaudoir, 1846; Chlaenius aeneocephalus Dejean, 1826; Harpalus distinguendus Duftschmid, 1812; H. affinis Schrank, 1781; H. caspius Steven, 1806; H. rufipes DeGeer, 1774; Brachinus crepitans Linnaeus, 1758; B. explodens Duftschmid, 1812; Carabus granulatus Linnaeus, 1758; Amara aenea DeGeer, 1774). From the point of view of ecological and trophic classification of biota, two main classes can be distinguished: zoophages represented by 7 groups (28 species) and myxophytophages – 3 groups (11 species). According to the degree of adaptation to humidity, the beetles of the studied area are represented by mesophiles, hygrophiles, mesoxerophiles and mesohygrophiles. Among these categories, the share of mesophilic species was predominant. The carabid complex includes representatives of five ecological groups, formed according to their biotopic preferences: steppe, forest, meadow, marsh, and saline species. In the composition of the identified carabid fauna, the presence of the Golden-dimpled ground beetle (Carabus clathratus Linnaeus, 1761), a species conserved in a number of regions of the Russian Federation, was noted for the first time.