Programme

Abstracts
Plenary Lecture and Invited Talks

REMINISCENCES ABOUT 29TH CENTURY CARABIDOLOGY
George Ball
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada, [email blocked]

FROM LATREILLE TO DNA SYSTEMATICS – TOWARDS A
MODERN SYNTHESIS FOR CARABIDOLOGY
Thorsten Assmann, Claudia Drees, Werner Härdtle, Andrea Matern &
Goddert von Oheimb
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, D-21332 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]

Latreille was the first to define the family Carabidae, thus initiating the systematic and taxonomic carabidology. Since these early times the methodological approaches have changed dramatically both in the general field of systematics towards phylogenetic systematics and in carabidology by identifying different sets of distinctive characters. In the last decades a revolution in carabid systematics took place by the introduction of morphometry and molecular methods (allozymes, DNA sequences). Many of the results obtained from these new methods are neglected by “traditional” carabidologists. But vice versa, the knowledge of these scientists is frequently ignored by many “modern” scientists with backgrounds mainly in molecular biology. This situation results in different systematics which are inconsistent or mutually contradictory. Moreover, modern species concepts are developed but mainly ignored by carabidologists. The main goal of this talk is to bring the different approaches together towards a common synthesis for carabidology.

EVOLUTION OF BIENNIAL LIFE CYCLES IN GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) OF WESTERN PALAEARCTIC
Andrey V. Matalin
Department of Zoology, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str. 6, Build. 5, Moscow 129164, Russia, [email blocked]

Thiele (1977) discussed two variants of biennial development in Carabidae. Paarmann (1979) considered that both variants are derivative of life cycle of autumn breeders without dormancy in the course of adult development (type 3, according to Thiele). Sota and Ishikava (2004) discussed a single type of biennial life cycle descendent from summer breeders with larval overwintering. As a result of field studies and analysis of literature on demographic structure of carabid populations, information about life cycles of 365 Palaearctic carabid species was summarised. The following types of biennial development were proposed among them:
1. Biennial life cycle of spring-summer species (example Harpalus affinis - Matalin, 1998);
2. Biennial life cycle of summer-autumn species (example Pterostichus melanarius) which is realized as:
a) facultative - only part of the specimens in a population develope during two years (Matalin, 2006);
b) obligate - biennial development is characterized for all specimens in a population (Sharova, Filippov, 2003).
3. Biennial life cycle of autumn species (example Carabus problematicus) which exists in similar variants:
a) facultative (Butterfield, 1986);
b) obligate (Houston, 1981).
So, biennial life cycles in Carabidae were independently evolved as a minimum thrice:
A. In spring breeders with gonad dormancy during hibernation and gonad maturation: males in SD, females after changing SD ® LD (type 1);
B. In autumn breeders without gonad dormancy but with temperature controlled larval dormancy during hibernation (type 3);
C. In autumn breeders with gonad dormancy during aestivation and gonad maturation after changing LD ® SD (type 4).
In similar extreme conditions the parallel variants of biennial development are observed. However even in favorable conditions some specimens in a population may develop within two years. According to our data, the proportion of species with biennial life cycles in different habitats within temperate zone is rather high and biennial development is not an exception.

CARABIDAE AS RESEARCH SUBJECT IN THE LIGHT OF EU
NATURA 2000 (HABITATS DIRECTIVE)
Erik Arndt
Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Department LOEL, Strenzfelder Allee 28, D-06406 Bernburg, Germany, [email blocked]

The “Natura 2000” network was created by the EU to counteract the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats. It forms the main legal framework for protecting nature and biodiversity at EU level. The Habitats directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) is one of the two parts of “Natura 2000”. Aims of the Habitats directive are among other things maintenance or restoration of natural habitats and wild species of Community interest at favourable conservation status. The Habitats directive should lead to a coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation. The treated habitats and species are listed in several annexes, two of which concern the work of carabidologists: ANNEX I (containing natural habitat types) and ANNEX II (containing animal and plant species whose conservation requires the designation of conservation areas).
Based on the proposals of the 25 EU Member States 869 species are listed in Annex II, including 38 Coleoptera with the following Carabidae: Carabus hampei, Carabus hungaricus, Carabus menetriesi pacholei, Carabus olympiae, Carabus variolosus, Carabus zawadszkii, Duvalius gebhardti, Duvalius hungaricus. Member States are obligated (i) to designate special areas of conservation for these species, and (ii) to undertake continuous surveillance of the conservation status of these species. The species have a “favourable conservation status”, if their population dynamics data indicate that it is maintaining itself on a long-term basis and the natural range of the species is neither being reduced nor is likely to be reduced for the foreseeable future. Every six years Member States shall draw up a report including in particular information concerning the conservation status of the mentioned species in Annex II.
A similar procedure (designation of special areas of conservation; surveillance; periodical report) is also demanded for the 217 habitat types in Annex I. Member States have a wide room of manoeuvre in organizing the habitat monitoring, but ground beetles are used as an indicator group in several states. The measures are co-financed by the EU. One example is the Free State of Saxonia (Germany) where Carabidae are included in the monitoring of nearly all terrestrial habitat types. Against this background, the Habitats directive brings a lot of work (jobs) also for entomologists.

THE CONCEPT OF INDICATION AND ITS MISUSE IN CARABID RESEARCH
Gabor L. Lövei
University of Aarhus, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Integrated Pest Management, Flakkebjerg Research Centre, DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark, [email blocked]

All organisms react to certain stimuli from their surroundings, and their reactions indicate the favourable-ness, or not, of these stimuli/conditions. Therefore, all organisms are indicators. The lack of clarity in recognising and defining the indicator –indicandum relationship muddled the waters considerably. Many organisms have been called, for one reason or another, “indicators” – not always sufficiently specifying, what is to be indicated, i.e. what is the “indicandum”?
Carabids have often been suggested to be suitable indicators for numerous things: biodiversity, changes in land use, deterioration or improvement of habitat condition, ecosystem health, etc.
After a theoretical discussion of Hungarian ecologist Pal Juhasz-Nagy’s “universal indicator principle”, criteria suggested for “good indicators” are examined, and the use of carabids as indicators of the above phenomena is critically surveyed. The use of carabids as indicators of biodiversity is generally debated and not universally accepted – but due to easy collecting methods, the practice persists. For indicating other changes, carabids indeed possess many desirable traits that can be used for indication. The practical use of this potential, however, is greatly hampered by a lack of clarity and frequent lack of precise questions – a precise definition of the “indicandum”. A survey of the use of the IndVal method also uncovers several cases of potential misuse of the method.

Abstracts
Taxonomy, Molecular Studies and Biogeography

A REVIEW OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE PSEUDOMORPHINI (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
Terry L. Erwin
Department of Entomology, MRC 187, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012 USA, [email blocked]

Species of the Tribe Pseudomorphini occur in the Australasian, Neotropical and Nearctic Realms. They are obligatory nest-dwelling myrmecophiles or termitophiles in the larval stages; females are ovoviviparous and not highly active flyers, as are the males. The currently known center of diversity is the North American Southwest, California to Utah, however, that is probably because the Neotropics are as yet very poorly sampled for these highly specialized beetles. Larvae are highly adapted to live in ant nests with special chemical attributes that likely ward-off the worker and soldier ants. Adults, likewise, are adapted to living amongst nest defenders with special structurally protective attributes. Notman’s 1925 revision and subsequent descriptions by Van Dyke and Liebherr & Will resulted in a known fauna of 30 Western Hemisphere species. This report more than doubles the number of now known species and quadruples the number of genera, as well as adds new first time tribal records for Central America, Perú, Ecuador, and México.

A MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF IBERIAN ZABRUS CLAIRVILLE, 1806 (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) BASED ON MITOCHONDRIAL AND NUCLEAR GENE SEQUENCES
Jose-Fermin Sanchez & Jose Serrano
Department of Zoology. Faculty of Veterinary. Campus de Espinardo. 30071 Murcia, Spain, [email blocked], [email blocked]

The genus Zabrus includes about 156 species and subspecies (Serrano & Andujar 2003) with a predominant Circunmediterranean distribution. Thirty species are found in the Iberian Peninsula belonging to five subgenera. Mitochondrial cytochrome-oxidase, nuclear 28S and non-coding ITS-II sequences have been analyzed for 26 of these species. Phylogenies obtained by parsimony, distance and Bayesian methods suggest (1) A close relationship among the subgenera Epomidozabrus, Euryzabrus, Platyzabrus, and Z. (Iberozabrus)consanguineus; (2) The existence of different lineages within the large subgenus Iberozabrus, which partially correlate with the species-groups proposed by Andujar & Serrano (2001); (3) A close relationship between morphologically distant species of Iberozabrus. Data analysis suggests that Z. consanguineus should be removed from the subgenus Iberozabrus and included in a subgenus of its own and related to the group made up by Epomidozabrus, Euryzabrus and Platyzabrus. A lack of congruence between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies was found between some species-groups of Iberozabrus. It is discussed whether introgression of mitochondrial lineages are the main factor causing these observations.

THE TIGER BEETLES LARVAE OF SUBTRIBE CICINDELINA (COLEOPTERA, CICINDELIDAE) OF THE PALEARCTIC
A.V. Putchkov
The Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine, ul. B. Khmelnitzkogo 15, Kiev-30, MSP, 01601, Ukraine, [email blocked]

The morphology of tiger beetle larvae subtribe Cicindelina (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) of the Palearctic is studied in detail (about 100 characters have been analyzed). In the frame of this study the larvae of 56 species belonging to 12 genera are described or redescribed with the use of new characters. There are Calochroa (1), Cicindela (25), Lophyridia (3), Lophyra (4), Habrodera (2), Neolaphyra (1), Hypaetha (1), Cephalota (7), Cassolaia (1), Myriochile (2), Cosmodela (1), Cylindera (9 species). Moreover the larvae of all tribes and subtribes of the world fauna of Cicindelidae were studied additionally.
As a result, the larvae of more than 50% genera and near 30% species of tribe Cicindelina as well as of the principal genera (near 40) of the world fauna of Cicindelidae are encompassed by the study. On the basis of this taxonomic analysis the key of cicindelid larvae of the subtribe Cicindelina inhabiting the Palearctis region (as well as all known genera of Cicindelidae of the world) are proposed. The data of bionomy and ecology (i. e. peculiarities of development, building of burrows, feeding, habitat distribution, enemies etc.) of cicindelid larvae are presented. Basing on morphological (both larval and imaginal), ecological and zoogeographical data the independent position of Cicindelidae as a separate family within the suborder of Adephaga (Putchkov, Cassola, 2005) is substantiated. Taxonomic status of most modern genera, subgenera and some species groups of tribe Cicindelina of the Palearctic is confirmed too.
On the basis of phylogenetical analyses using larval characters Lophyridia, Lophyra, Neolaphyra, Cosmodela and Cicindela s.str. are proved to be relatively natural taxa in the subtribe but Myriochile, Cephalota, Cassolaia, Cylindera s.str. and Cicindela “clypeata” species group are more isolated.
Complex of the genera Lophyridia+Lophyra+Neolaphyra+Cosmodela are considered as a sister group of the subgenus Cicindela s.str.+ Calochroa. Complex of species of the genus Cylindera is considered as a paraphyletic group.
Model of phylogenetic relation of genera and species groups of subtribe Cicindelina of Palearctic is elaborated. The revision of the classification of Cicindelina is conducted on the basis of these analyses. Consequently, the isolated positions of “clypeata” species-group (Cicindela clypeata, C. rhodoterrena) and genus Eugrapha (on base of morphology, ecology adult and larvae, geographical distribution of these taxa) appears to stand by their own within the tribe Cicindelina. Two new species groups of Cephalota genus (Taenidia subgenus) are distinguished too. There are following groups: 1. C. elegans, C. deserticola, C. chiloleuca, C. littorea; 2. C. atrata, C. besseri.
Thus, studying and comparative analyses of other unknown larvae (especially some tropical taxa) (including data on the imagoes) will help to establish a widely acceptable classification of the subtribe Cicindelina of the Palearctic as well as of the world too.

NEW MICROPHTHALMIC SUBGENUS OF SPELUNCARIUS
AND SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF S. (HYPOGIUM) ALBANICUS
(COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE: PTEROSTICHINI)
Borislav V. Guéorguiev1 & Roman Lohaj2
1 Natural Museum of Natural History, 1 Blvd. Tzar Osvoboditel, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria, [email blocked]
2 Institute of Forensic Sciences, 8 Kuzmányho 8, SK-041 02 Košice, Slovakia, [email blocked], [email blocked]

A new subgenus Pontotapinus subgen. nov. within the genus Speluncarius is proposed, based on type species Speluncarius ponticus Casale & Giachino, 1991. The study of selected characters confirmed the conclusion that Hypogium Tschitschérine, 1900, although representative of separate lineage belongs to the complex Speluncarius – Tapinopterus, and not to the “molopite complex”. The female genitalia of the type species of the subgenera Speluncarius s. str., Hypogium and Pontotapinus subgen. nov. are firstly illustrated and described, and the lectotype of Platysma albanicum Tschitschérine, 1900 is designated.

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF
MESOCARABUS THOMSON, 1875 (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) BASED ON MITOCHONDRIAL ND5 GENE
Carmelo Andujar & Jose Serrano
Department of Zoology. Faculty of Veterinary. Campus de Espinardo. 30071 Murcia, Spain, [email blocked], [email blocked]

A molecular phylogeny based on a 1000 bp region of the mitochondrial ND5 gene has been worked out in the subgenus Mesocarabus. More than 170 individuals collected in 90 localities have been sampled. The results were compared to characters of the external morphology and the everted endophallus. A good support was found for the main clades after using methods of distance, parsimony and maximum likelihood. The clades show parapatric distributions with varying degrees of definition. These results may help in understanding the evolutionary history of the subgenus and to solve the huge taxonomic problems derived from the description of dozens of subspecies and the confuse limits of currently admitted species.

PATTERNS OF MOLECULAR VARIABILITY IN CARABIDS MAINLY FROM THE BALTIC SEA COAST
N. Kamer, W. Dormann & D. Mossakowski
Institute for Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Bremen, P.O.Box 330440, D- 28334 Bremen, [email blocked]

Salty habitats are more or less isolated along the German Baltic Sea coast. Therefore, populations of Carabid species dwelling in such habitats may be isolated to some degree. A more strict isolation may be given for populations at inland salt localities.
In a project on biodiversity of salt meadows at the Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania we studied the within species diversity of six halobiontic or halophilic Carabid species, respectively, by analysing DNA sequences. It is well known that salt marsh species are in general able to fly and that they use this capacity. In comparison we studied Carabus clatratus as a representative of species with low dispersal power due to its reduced hind wings. First results on this species were published by Kamer et al. (2005).
In general, the variability of species preferring salt habitats is lower than that of Carabus clatratus. This may be interpreted by the flight ability of salt Carabids. But the results differ strongly depending on the species. They display quite different patterns of variation:
1. No differentiation along the Baltic Sea coast
Only one haplotype was found in Bembidion fumigatum. This species is known as recently spreading.
2. Variability between populations but without greographical context
Dyschirius salinus, Bembidion tenellum and Bembidion pallidipenne.
3. Geographical pattern: Coast versus inland
We found in Bembidion minimum populations one haplotype at the coasts of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea as well. At the inland localities another haplotype exists.
4. Geographical pattern: SE versus NW?
Anisodyctylus poeciloides. Results of this species are discussed in connection with data of Anisodactylus from Camargue.
5. Complex geographical pattern
Carabus clatratus. We found three different haplotype groups on the continent which may be interpreted as eastern, western and coastal ones. Besides, there is a lot of variability (singletons).

HISTORY OF GROUND-BEETLE FAUNA OF THE WEST-
SIBERIA AND URALS DURING THE UPPER PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE
Evgeniy Zinovjev
Institute of Ecology of Plants and Animals, 8th March St, 202, Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russia, [email blocked], [email blocked]

Entomological data are used for the reconstruction of ground-beetle fauna formation in the central and northern parts of West-Siberian plain and the Urals. In the Upper Pleistocene (Ermakovo and Karginian time - from 70 to 23 thousands years ago) these territories were inhabited by arctic insects with the presence of some East Palearctic (Dauro-Mongolian and Altai-Dzungarian) carabids. The last group is presented by a few species (Poecilus ravus, Pterostichus mirus, Cymindis mannerheimi). In the low reaches of the Tavda, Ishim and adjacent district of the Irtysh the diversity of East Palearctic components was higher, but their quantities decreased northwards. In the layers dated by Last (Sartan) glaciation (22-18 thousands years ago) these species were not found, however they occurred in deposits dated by the period of end Upper Pleistocene and the beginning of Holocene (11-9 thousands years ago). In the territories of the central part of West Siberia (the middle reaches of the Ob), the degree of species diversity increased due to short-time common presence of subboreal steppe (Poecilus ravus), arctic and boreal species of carabids caused by the rapid climatic changes. We can propose that modern disjunction of the modern areas of some beetles (Polystichus connexus, Cymindis faldermanni) might be happened in the period after the degradation of periglacial tundra-steppe communities. It was noted that some species determined as boreal (Pterostichus mannerheimi, P. adstrictus) inhabited these territories in the cold periods of Late Pleistocene with arctic carabids (Pterostichus costatus). The analysis of paleoentomological data allows supposing the possible findings of the some steppe species (Poecilus ravus) in the modern insect faunas of the West Siberia like Carabus sibiricus and Polystichus connexus ground beetles.

HEREDITY OF THE SURFACE COLOUR IN ADULTS OF POECILUS LEPIDUS (COL., CARABIDAE)
W. Paarmann1, T. Assmann2, D. Mossakowski3, W. Rohe1 & I. Lüchtrath1
1 HAWK, Fakultät Ressourcenmanagement, Büsgenweg 1A, D 37077 Göttingen, Germany, [email blocked]
2 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lueneburg, Scharnhorststrasse 1, D 21335 Lüneburg, Germany
3 University of Bremen, Institute for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. PO Box 330440, D 28334 Bremen, Germany

In Poecilus lepidus populations nearly all structural colour morphs known from Carabidae occur, while most carabid species have only one species specific colour. In North Italy we collected blue, black and green specimens and in North Germany the colour morphs greenish blue, cupper coloured (‘red’), green and violet. Due to cross-breeding experiments in the laboratory we found out that the Italian morphs black (rr) and blue (bb) are homozygous individuals, while heterozygous are green (rb). A similar heritability was found for the specimens from Germany: greenish blue (b1b1) and ‘red’ (r1r1) morphs are homozygous, while green individuals are heterozygous (r1b1) for these two alleles. Offspring of crossing specimens for the ‘Italian blue’ x ‘German red’ as well as ‘German greenish blue’ x ‘Italian black’ are heterozygous (r1b, rb1) and show a green colour. From the cross-breeding experiments we can conclude that the allele ‘Red’ (R1) (German population) is dominant over black (r) (Italian population). The allele violet (V) is dominant over all other alleles. Homozygous females for the allele violet (VV) were found to be nearly black. Only the brim of the elytra was violet. The pigment colour of P. lepidus beetles is black. The structural colours are caused by interference at multiple layers in the outer part of the cuticle; their differences are due to the number and the thickness of the layers above the pigment layer.

HABITAT SIZE AND QUALITY AS DETERMINANTS OF GENETIC VARIABILITY: LESSONS FROM THE BOG-STENOTOPIC GROUND BEETLE AGONUM ERICETI
Claudia Drees, Pascale Zumstein & Thorsten Assmann
Institute of Ecology and Ecological Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, D-21314 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]

Peat bogs or raised bogs, which covered large parts of the north-western European lowlands, have been subject to massive anthropogenic change since only a few decades or centuries. The formerly extensive bogs were cultivated by peat cutting, drainage, ploughing and fertilization with the aim of agricultural and silvicultural use so that only few remnants of near-natural peat bogs remained in this geographical region which are fragmented. Owing to special habitat conditions peat bogs are inhabited by a specialised fauna, which has become rare and isolated, accordingly. As the populations in the typically small bog remnants are small, they become subject to genetic stochasticity, which is stronger the smaller the populations are.

FOREST HISTORICAL INFLUENCES ON THE POPULATION GENETICS OF ABAX ATER IN FLANDERS
H. Dhuyvetter & K. Desender
Entomology Department, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstreet 29, Belgium, [email blocked]

The main aim of this study is to integrate woodland history and evolutionary genetics in Belgium. In this contribution, we concentrate on the ground beetle species Abax ater. Six microsatellite loci and five allozyme loci were studied in beetle populations from recent or exploitation forests (at least some years during their recent history without forest) and compared to populations from ancient forests. In two of the forests, we also studied effects of forest history inside the forest. The allelic richness and gene diversity in samples from recent or exploitation forests was significantly lower, indicating that genetic variability was reduced in these populations. On the other hand, we did not find any significant genetic differences between sites with different history inside the forest. Our genetic results warn that recent forest populations can be genetically impoverished, especially when not connected to ancient forest. Forest history in Belgium seems to have a strong impact on genetic diversity levels.

CONSERVING THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE
THREATENED EUROPEAN CARABID BEETLE CARABUS
VARIOLOSUS: IMPLICATIONS FROM THE WESTERN PART OF
ITS DISTRIBUTION RANGE
Andrea Matern(1), Konjev Desender(2), Claudia Drees(1), Eva Gaublomme(2,3), Wolfgang Paill(4) & Thorsten Assmann(1)
(1) Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]
(2) Department of Entomology, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
(3) Department of Terrestrial Ecology, University of Ghent, Ledeganckstraat 29, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
(4) Institute for Faunistics and Animal Ecology, Ökoteam, Bergmanngasse 22, A-8010 Graz, Austria.

An understanding of the processes and patterns of gene flow in species of conservation concern is crucial for a proper management of threatened and endangered populations. How genetic diversity is distributed over a species’ range and which populations are genetically similar or distinct both allow inferences on the history of populations and species and can be used to spatially define conservation units, which provide guidance for practical management.
We assessed genetic diversity in 12 populations of the threatened European beetle Carabus variolosus, covering a large part of its western distribution range from Germany and France to South Slovenia. This habitat specialist of headwater areas and swamps in woodlands is listed as a species of community interest in the EU Habitat and Species Directive, which expresses the member states’ commitment to securing its long-term survival. Variation at 16 allozyme loci was used in order to evaluate the degree of intrapopulational variation and interpopulational differentiation and in order to define conservation units. Particularly high FST values (on a scale which is also known from populations in glacial refuges) and a poor accordance between geographical and genetic distance suggest a high degree of isolation of the island-like distributed populations, even between neighbouring populations within drainages. The results are discussed in terms of the concept of Management Units and Evolutionarily Significant Units.

Abstracts
Biology & Conservation

CARABID FUNCTIONAL GROUPS IN CALABRIA (ITALY),
A SYNTHESIS OF MORPHOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
R. Pizzolotto, A. Mazzei & P. Brandmayr
Universita della Calabria - Dip. Ecologia, via P. Bucci 4b, Rende (CS) 87036, Italy, [email blocked]

Species adaptation takes place through the evolution of a morphology (life strategies) which is consistent (not in a finalistic sense) with the resolution of main ecological constraints. Different species (evolutionary radiation) are able to survive in a given environment through the time needed to succeed in natural selection thanks to similar life strategies (ecological convergence). If the evolved strategies have poor or no adaptive power, the species are doomed to extinction or evolutive decline.
The range of adaptive strategies of a given biota (i.e. the flora and fauna of a region) is strictly affected by the selective pressures characterising the geographical area where it evolved, so that every biota is characterised by an adaptive pattern comprising all the hypervolume niches of its species.
Carabid beetles show a moderate degree of morphological diversity often related to ecological or behavioural reponses, which are clearly linked to particular habitat or trophic resources. It is likely that these biological features evolve in a constant and recurrent way (taxon pulses?), mirroring the selective pressures characterising different geographical areas.
The biological features, taken as collective or typological parameters of species groups (biota, communities), are a useful tool for studying the relationship between environmental typology and species morphological characteristics.
Data on carabids have been explained under an adaptive-evolutionary view, attempting to unify morphological and eco-biogeographical studies under the concept of functional group. It was found that:
- in the studied carabid biota the species give rise to functional groups, i.e. groups of biological features consistent with the resolution of main ecological constraints;
- correlation between habitat and morphological characteristics has been found;
- relationships among different biological features have been outlined.

DISTURBANCE EFFECTS ON WING POLYMORPHIC CARABID SPECIES
Stephen Venn
University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014, Finland, [email blocked]

The carabid fauna of the Fennoscandian region contains a large proportion of wing dimorphic or polymorphic species. A number of studies have suggested that species that are adapted for dispersal should be more prevalent in disturbed habitats. In this study I compare wing morphology in individuals of polymorphic species from sites along a disturbance gradient. The three treatments comprising this gradient are lawns in urban parks under the following management regimes 1) mown lawns, 2) mown until the previous summer (intermediate) and 3) lawns that have not been mown for 10 years (meadow). The meadow treatment had considerably less macropterous individuals and the results for the other two treatments were similar. Wing length of brachypterous individuals was also shorter in the meadow treatment. Body size of males was much smaller on the meadow sites. The extent of sexual dimorphism for both body size and wing length was reduced on the lawn and intermediate treatmen! ts. My conclusions are:
1) besides species level effects on populations, disturbance results in diverse phenotypic changes within affected populations, evident in all measured traits in this study: size, macroptery and wing length,
2) disturbance favours macropterous individuals, though it is not clear whether the mechanism is i) selection for this trait ii) the superior fitness of macropterous individuals in disturbed habitats or iii) higher rate of immigration by colonizing individuals and
3) disturbance reduces sexual dimorphism in all three traits assessed.
Further study is necessary to elaborate the level at which these phenotypic changes are mediated, the rate of change, the influence of different levels of disturbance and the response subsequent to the termination of such disturbance regimes.

EFFECTS OF THE STRUCTURAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOILS ON THE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF CARABID
BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE)
A. Taboada(1), D.J. Kotze(2) & E. Marcos(3)
(1) Area of Zoology, Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, E-24071 León, Spain, [email blocked]
(2) School of Botany and Zoology, Forest Biodiversity Programme, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa, [email blocked]
(3) Area of Ecology, Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, E-24071 León, Spain, [email blocked]

We studied the effects of various structural and chemical properties of soils on the distribution patterns of carabid beetles. Our aim was to determine whether each species responded differently to soil characteristics depending on its ecological requirements. The study was performed in three types of ecosystems that make up the forested landscape of the Cantabrian mountain range (NW Spain): beech (Fagus sylvatica), oak (Quercus pyrenaica) and pine (Pinus sylvestris). We selected 49 forested patches in total and used pitfall traps (15 traps per patch) to collect the beetles in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Five samples from the top 5 cm of soil were taken per patch, approximately 8 m apart, from which pH, organic matter content, total nitrogen and available calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium were determined. Leaf litter depth was measured at each soil sampling point. Generalised linear models (GLMs) were used to model the effects of soil properties on carabid overall abundance, species richness and the abundance of each individual species. Thereafter, models were compared and simplified by using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC).
A total of 33291 individuals and 81 species were captured. Abundantly collected species included Calathus fuscipes, Carabus amplipennis, Harpalus rufipalpis, Nebria asturiensis and Steropus gallega. Most of the carabid beetle species analysed responded significantly to at least some of the soil variables included in the models. Soil organic matter content, pH and leaf litter depth were the main variables that influenced the distribution of carabid beetles. High organic matter content usually reflects forest use by livestock and has been found to influence carabid beetles significantly. Acidification processes, such as in pine forests, may affect the development of immature stages of ground-dwelling carabid beetles, but it is not well known how eggs and larvae respond to the physical environment. High volumes of leaf litter may provide more prey, space or better protection against extreme environmental conditions, thus significantly affecting the distribution of carabid beetles. Results on the species-specific responses to soil properties and the possible underlying mechanisms will be discussed.
This study was financed by the research projects JCYL LE031/03 and MCYT REN2003-05432-GLO.

SURVIVAL STRATEGIES AND ADAPTATIONS OF CICINDELIDAE AND CARABIDAE IN CENTRAL AMAZONIAN FLOODPLAINS
Joachim Adis
Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Ploen, Germany; [email blocked]

Floodplain forests and their frontal bank margins along Central Amazonian rivers are annually inundated for 5-7 months. The monomodal flood pulse prompted habitat shifts in terricolous tiger beetles and ground beetles: horizontal migration (following the water-line), vertical migration (temporal ascent to trunk or canopy) ortemporal flight to upland forests. Adaptations are ethological (migration, diving behavior and soil availability for oviposition in adults), ecophysiological (life cycle; circulatory response, anoxia resistance and anaerobic metabolism in submerged larvae; life span, gonad dormancy and physical gill during diving in adults) or morphological (brachyptery, spiracle structure).

RESPONSE OF GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) TO AN EXTREME FLOOD EVENT IN THE MIDDLE ELBE
FLOODPLAIN
Michael Gerisch & Klaus Henle
UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Permoser Str. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany, [email blocked], [email blocked]

Natural floodplains are characterised by highly dynamic altering hydrological conditions. A variety of species cope with these dynamic changes by having specific adaptations crucial for surviving critical conditions or by being able to rapidly resettle habitats. However, only little is known about the response of floodplain-species and communities to extreme environmental events, such as exceptional floods or continuous droughts. In summer 2002 an extraordinary, severe flood event with a statistical recurrence-interval is of 168 years (Mudelsee et al. 2003) occurred at the Elbe River in Central Germany, followed by an unusual long-lasting drought in 2003.
We investigated the reaction of ground beetles to these extremes using pre- and post-flood-abundance data. The study was conducted on seasonally flooded grassland in the UNESCO Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve with a randomised stratified sampling scheme. We applied multivariate data analysis to investigate the reaction of the ground beetle community to both extreme events. Results indicate that the community-reaction to the environmental occasions differs considerably within ecological groups. Communities colonising flood-exposed plots seem to be affected more intensely as they showed a severe decline in species diversity and abundance. In contrast, communities colonising dryer, more elevated plots showed a remarkable resistance to the flood event as both, diversity and dominance raised, probably partially fostered by the flood-following drought .
The results indicate that the occurrence of extraordinary, extreme environmental events has a stronger and persisting impact on certain components of biodiversity than periodic disturbances.

Reference:
Mudelsee, M., Börngen, M., Tetzlaff, G. & U. Grünewald (2003): No upward trends in the occurence of extreme floods in central Europe. - Nature 425: 166-169.

LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF
CARABID BEETLES
Colin Bergeron(1,2), John Spence(1) & Jan Volney(2)
442 Earth Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, [email blocked]
(1) Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;
(2) Northern Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Subsistence of ground beetle species on forested landscape implies exploitation of habitat resources that are inconsistently available through time and space. Trees, as major elements of the boreal forest habitat, are inducing part of this spatial-temporal resources partitioning. Consequently, the beetle fauna is expected to reflect at least in part the tree composition that is established by soil, climate, physiographic features and natural disturbances. We studied concomitant spatial variation between natural disturbances, forest habitat and carabid beetle communities at landscape scale. A systematic grid of 200 sites (640 m apart) was established on 84 km2 of boreal mixedwood forest in northwestern Alberta, Canada. Disturbance history, forest characteristics and beetle assemblages collected by pitfall trapping were compared in each of these 200 sites. Distinct late successional rare tree and beetle species occurred mainly on north facing aspects of the landscape where fir! es have been scarce over the last 200 years. The lowland portion of the landscape supported tree and beetle assemblages with low species richness, dominated by few dominant species well adapted to wet habitat. Species assemblages on the upland were richer and species were more evenly distributed. The distribution of tree and beetle species also reflected standard provincial land classification (ecosite) and may therefore serve as a base to establish conservation priorities on this managed forested land.

SEMI-OPEN CORRIDORS - A NEW APPROACH FOR NATURE CONSERVATION? AN INVESTIGATION OF GROUND BEETLES IN THE NATURE RESERVE “LÜNEBURGER HEIDE”
Britta Noll, Claudia Drees, Andrea Matern & Thorsten Assmann
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lueneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, D-21335 Lueneburg, Germany, [email blocked]

There is a broad discussion about fragmentation and connectivity of habitats in scientific literature. Fragmentation seems to be one of the main causes for extinction of species. It leads to decreasing gene flow and an increase in species extinctions. Corridors are thought to facilitate locomotory movement between habitat patches and are a popular strategy in conservation biology. On the other hand, the creation of new corridors also leads to a fragmentation of the surrounding habitats. Forexample, there exist corridors to connect either patches of heathland by open habitats or forests by hedges. However, these corridors also disconnect patches of their surrounding habitat themselves.
A possible solution for this dilemma is the development of semi-open corridors which connect both forested and open habitats. In the nature reserve “Lueneburg Heathland” a few such semi-open corridors characterized by a mixture of heathland, shrubs, single trees and small groups of trees have been established in the last years in order to enable dispersal for heathland and forest species. The aim of this study is to prove the effectiveness of the semi-open corridors in promoting the dispersal of both, species of open and wooded habitats. Using capture-mark-recapture experiments and standard pitfall traps we studied the use of these corridors by species of heathland and woodland habitats (e.g. Poecilus lepidus, Abax parallelepipedus and Carabus violaceus).

AN UPDATED RED DATA BOOK OF CARABID BEETLES IN FLANDERS (BELGIUM) WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO SPECIES WITH RECENT CHANGES IN DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS
W. Dekoninck(1), K. Desender(1) & D. Maes(2)
(1) Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Departement Entomology, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussel, Belgium, [email blocked]
(2) Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussels, Belgium

An analysis of the long term dynamics of carabid and cicindelid beetles in Flanders has permitted to update the first documented Red list (1995) of ground and tiger beetles threatened in Flanders. During the last 10 years, the number of records on these beetles has nearly doubled, mainly because of several large scale regional projects. During this study, we aim to give information for each species concerning taxonomy and identification, distribution, habitat and ecology, status, threats and suggested recovery measures to be taken. This project will produce on-line maps on the distribution of carabids in Flanders as well as an updated Red data book. Where there are sufficient data per decade, trend-analyses of some threatened species will be performed. At the same time, our analyses are also aimed at redefining habitat preference in a number of ground beetles. This could yield a better insight into the environmental factors responsible for the deterioration of Flemish entomofauna in general. Special attention will be given to species which might have extended their distribution area northwards during the past 10 years and that formerly appeared rare in Flanders because of a restricted geographically distribution. Some of these species (e.g. Parophonus maculicornis, some other Harpalines, …) suggest this is probably due to recent climate changes (global warming). Especially where we find such species in nutrient-poor habitats such as poor grasslands they have been suggested as potential model species in order to monitor effects of nature conservation measures.

A REAL TIME EXTINCTION: THE CASE OF CARABUS CLATRATUS IN ITALY (COLEOPTERA CARABIDAE)
Achille Casale(1) & Enrico Busato(2)
(1) Università di Sassari, Dipartimento di Zoologia e Genetica evoluzionistica, Via Muroni 25, 07100 Sassari, Italy
(2) Università di Torino, Di.Va.P.R.A. – Entomologia e Zoologia applicate all’Ambiente “C. Vidano”, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy

As postulated by authors like Wilson (1992), the extinction of invertebrate organisms - at global or local scale – is an event difficult to prove on the ground of objective data: inadequate knowledge of population sizes, scarcity of investigations in the field, and the loss of information on the life histories of many so called “rare” taxa, make the assumption that a species has really and definitively disappeared from a given area difficult, and sometimes impossible.
Over all Europe, highly hygrophylic carabids in lowlands are very exposed to the risk of extinction, due to the loss or modification of their habitat. Among these Carabus clatratus, one of the few species of the genus Carabus characterized by a semi-aquatic way of life, is reported as threatened or disappeared in several areas in all European countries (Turin et al. 2003). In Italy, the “historical” distribution of this species reports some 25 localities (Magistretti 1965; Casale et al. 1982). A chrono-geonemic survey, however, shows that in the last decade of the past century it was confined to not more than three localities in Tuscany, reduced to one only at the beginning of this century (Brandmayr et al. 2006).
One of the authors of the present contribution (A.C.) supposed that the rapid and unexpected extinction of C. clatratus in some undisturbed and not modified biotopes, where it was very abundant until a few years ago, was due to the massive colonization of an alien, very invasive species, the crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Crustacea, Decapoda), imported to Italy for aquaculture from the south-eastern United States. An original experiment and a movie, made in laboratory conditions by E.B., proves for the first time that this is a real fact, not a theory.

References:
Brandmayr P., Casale A., Puzzo F., Scalercio S. 2006. Chronogeonemy analysis: some examples regarding species of the Italian fauna. In: Ruffo S., Stoch F. (eds.), Checklist and distribution of the Italian fauna. Mem. Mus. civ. St. nat. Verona, 2.serie, Sez. Scienze della Vita 17: 41-45., with data on CD-ROM.
Casale A., Sturani M., Vigna Taglianti A. 1982. Coleoptera, Carabidae. I. Introduzione, Paussinae, Carabinae. Fauna d’Italia, 18, Calderini Ed., Bologna, 499 pp.
Magistretti M. 1965. Coleoptera Cicindelidae, Carabidae. Catalogo topografico. Fauna d’Italia, 8, Calderini Ed., Bologna, 512 pp.
Turin H., Penev L., Casale A. (eds.) 2003. The genus Carabus in Europe – A Synthesis. Pensoft, Sofia-Moscow, 511 pp.
Wilson O.L. 1992. The Diversity of Life. Harvard University Press.

CARABUS HUNGARICUS FABRICIUS 1792 A NATURA 2000
SPECIES IN HUNGARY (DISTRIBUTION, HABITATS, GENETIC VARIABILITY, NATURE CONSERVATION VALUE)
Sándor Bérces(1), Gyõzõ Szél(2), Viktor Ködöböcz(3), Krisztián Szabó(4), Dávid Fülöp(4), Zsolt Pénzes(4,5), Lukas Cizek(6) & László Peregovits(2)
(1) Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate, Hûvösvölgyi út 52., Budapest, 1021 Hungary, [email blocked]
(2) Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13, Budapest, 1088 Hungary
(3) Hortobágyi National Park Directorate, Sumen u. 2., Debrecen 4024 Hungary
(4) Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Temesvari krt 62, Szeged, 6726 Hungary
(5) Department of Ecology, Szeged University, Szeged, Egyetem u. 2., 6721 Hungary
(6) Biological Faculty University of South Bohemia Branisovska 31, CZ 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

Carabus hungaricus F. is a species listed in the Habitat Directive and it is a characteristic species of the Pannonian biogeographic region, inhabiting sandy grasslands and dolomitic grasslands in Hungary. The occurrences of Carabus hungaricus are comprehensively listed based on literature data, personal communication and all available museum specimens in Hungary. All the published and unpublished data, and the several new localities found in our investigations, were processed with GIS to clear the current distribution of the beetle. The most numerous populations live in panonic sand steppe biotopes. Genetic variability was investigated for three subspecies of Carabus hungaricus (ssp. hungaricus; ssp. viennensis and ssp. frivaldskyanus) on the sequences of mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase gene. Sequences showed very low level of variation within and among populations. No interpretable pattern was found among the (Serbian, Hungarian and Czech) populations, with a single exception. Individuals of C. hungaricus ssp frivaldszkyanus (Serbia) form a separate unit differing consequently from the rest of the populations. In Hungary Carabus hungaricus is a potentially endangered species according to the IUCN criteria. Known habitat types, habitat preferences, endangering environmental factors are discussed.

THE USE OF GROUND BEETLES IN RIVER BANK
MANAGEMENT – A CASE STUDY OF BEMBIDION VELOX (L., 1761) AT THE RIVER ELBE
Meike Kleinwächter
Institute for Geoecology, Technical University Braunschweig, D-38092 Braunschweig, Germany, [email blocked]

Almost all large rivers in Europe and North America are affected by human impact and thus, are more or less heavily modified. Hence, the riparian fauna is generally vulnerable or threatened and a large number of the species are red-listed in European countries. In order to ensure an appropriate river bank management to protect and support these species a good knowledge of the impact of hydro-morphological processes for their population development is essential. Along the River Elbe in Germany hydro-morphological dynamics and subsequently habitat characteristics of river banks are affected by groynes, which are breakwaters built into rivers to control the water flow by constraining the river bed. The influence of different groyne forms on the occurrence of riparian ground beetle Bembidion velox (L., 1761) was studied for several years. Habitat suitability models, which are based on the assumption that the selected key factors are of major importance for the population development, describe for adults as well as for larvae of B. velox a strong association with semi-terrestrial sandy open soil habitats. Laboratory rearing of larvae in different substrates and flooding experiments of eggs confirmed that grain size and the proximity to the water line are key habitat factors for the population development of B. velox.
Adapted from these findings the habitat availability for B. velox was simulated depending on different discharges and groynes forms using digital maps. Results show that modifications of the regular groyne form can form scours and small sand banks leading to an extension of the shoreline that increases the habitat availability for B. velox. Thus, habitat models of B. velox can be used as a tool in the evaluation of river bank management.

SMALL PREDATOR - LARGE PREY: PREDATION OF ANURAN METAMORPHS BY CARABID BEETLE LARVA (EPOMIS)
A. Gasith, E. Elron, A. Shlagman & G. Wizen
Zoology Department, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978. [email blocked]

We describe for the first time in details predation of anuran metamorphs many times larger (5-20 fold in weight) than their predator, a carabid larvae of the genus Epomis. The genus belongs to the Chlaeniini tribe in which about 20 species are known, mainly from tropical Africa and south and southeastern Asia. Five species are known from the Palaearctic region, among them E. dejeani and E. circumscriptus that were recorded in Israel. Existing evidence indicate that predation of amphibians is not a peculiar of a single Chlaeniini species.
Along the coastal plain of Israel metamorphs of anuran species emerge from ephemeral pools in late March and early April and seek cover nearby during the day. Larvae of E. dejeani are also active during this period. Encounters between this hemi-cryptobiont beetle larvae and anurans are inevitable because both share the same cover (e.g., under rocks, debris) at the same time. The larva vigorously, grasps the prey’s skin with its special mandibles; the toadlet is unable to rid their body of the larva. (photographs available at: http://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/departments/zoology/Amphibia/index.html). Larval feeding behavior resembles parasitism in the initial phase (sucking body fluids) and can develop into typical predation (tissue ingestion) at the end. Up to five first instar larvae were recorded on a single metamorph, usually attached to the toadlet’s venter. A single larva usually consumes four anuran metamorphs. The third instar digs under cover into the moist soil where it completes larval development in 40 days or less. The apparently low frequency of occurrence of this interaction (<0.5%) and the relatively small number of prey affected per beetle suggest a relatively limited effect on amphibian populations. We will give further information on this beetle-anuran interaction and show visual evidence from a field investigation that took place during spring and early summer 2007.)

COMPOSITION OF WEED COMMUNITY DETERMINES CARABID ASSEMBLAGE: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
P. Saska
Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507, Praha 6 – Ruzyne 161 06 Czech Republic, [email blocked]

The objective of this study is to determine how composition of weed assemblages within crops affects the assemblages of granivorous carabid beetles. Metal enclosures placed within patches of naturally established weeds. Each enclosure ran for two weeks during which arthropods enclosed in the sampled area were collected by a pitfall trap. The vegetation within each enclosure was described as a relative abundance of particular species. In total 43 samples were taken in Praha – Ruzynì at four occasions between 9.5.-23.8.2006. The data were analysed for each sampling occasion separately, using Redundant Analysis (RDA) followed by Monte-Carlo permutation test using CANOCO 4.5 for Windows. In total, 501 carabid individuals were recorded, including both adults and larvae. RDA revealed that structure of weed community as described by the relative abundance of particular plant species affected composition of carabid assemblage. However, this effect was significant only in 2 out of 4 sampling occasions. In the first sampling occasion (9/5/2006), only Stellaria media explained significant amount of variation in carabid distribution (Monte-Carlo permutation test: F=3.48, p=0.002). In the last sampling occasion (9/8/2006), the only significant effect of T. inodorum (Monte-Carlo permutation test: F=4.13, p=0.006) was found. Nevertheless, ordination biplots for different sampling occasions showed rather consistent associations of particular carabids (including carnivorous ones) with weeds: Amara familiaris and Harpalus luteicornis are associated with S. media, Acupalpus meridianus with C. bursa-pastoris in spring and (together with Paratachys bistriatus) with T. inodorum in late summer. The preliminary results thus indicate that composition of weed populations in crops translates to the diversity and composition of granivorous carabids. Supported by the grant no. 522/06/P366 from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic.

Abstracts
Carabids and Habitats

HABITAT SELECTION OF GROUND BEETLES IN WOODLANDS AND OPEN FIELDS IN UPPER GALILEE, ISRAEL
A. Timm(1), T. Dayan(2), C. Drees(1), T. Levanony(2) & T. Assmann(1)
(1) Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]
(2) Department of Zoology, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

The landscapes of the Middle East have been intensively influenced by man for several thousands of years. Phases of intensive land use, accompanied by the destruction of woodland (mainly through overgrazing and arable fields) alternated with phases of less intensive land use. During the periods of marginal land use, shrubs and maquis were able to develop but were then destroyed during the subsequent phases of intensive land use. Therefore there has been no woodland continuity in this area for a long term, and possibly even since biblical times. The main questions asked in this study are whether woodland ground beetle species have been able to survive in this landscape.
Habitat selection of the ground beetle fauna was investigated in the Upper Galilee, Israel, over a one year period (March 2005-March 2006). For this purpose pitfall traps were set at six sampling sites in old growth woodlands, recent woodlands and open habitats. They were emptied every two weeks the whole year round. All sampling sites were on terra rossa soil. The vegetation of the woodlands belongs to the Quercus calliprinos-Pistacia palestina association. While the highest number of species was found in the open habitats, the highest number of specimens was found in old growth woodlands. Several typical woodland species occur mainly or exclusively in the old growth oak woodland. It seems to be the habitat to which most of these species are adapted.
For a better understanding of the population history of woodland and open habitat species, investigations of the dispersal power, especially the hind wing polymorphism, were carried out. These showed that many woodland species are macropterous and most of the open land species are brachypterous. The interpretion of this different levels of dispersal power made it possible to get an idea how woodland species were able to survive the long-lasting woodland devastation in the Middle East.

HOW LANDSCAPE DIVERSITY AFFECTS SPECIES DIVERSITY: THE CASE OF SHRUB EFFECT ON BEETLE DIVERSITY IN GRAZED DRYLANDS
Oren Shelef
Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel, [email blocked]

Understanding the processes that determine species diversity is of great concern. The massive loss of biodiversity in the last centuries may threaten the functioning and stability of ecosystems. Considerable progress has been made in the last decades in addressing the role of landscape diversity in environmental processes. This research relates to the two-phase mosaic made by shrubs and intershrub patches as a simple form of landscape diversity and aim to study its effect on ground-dwelling beetle diversity. The difference between the two mosaic phases is defined as “contrast” and includes environmental contrast (of properties as temperature, moisture and accumulated organic matter) and diversity contrast (species richness, abundance and composition). I study the effect of structural contrast on environmental contrast and on diversity contrast. The study has been done in two long term ecological research (LTER) stations in Avdat (arid ecosystem) and Lehavim (semi-arid), Israel. Shrubs were removed to study their effect. Beetles were sampled by pitfall traps. 124 species were identified in Avdat, and 125 species in Lehavim. In Avdat Tenebrionidae was the dominant family (50 % of total abundance) out of 30 families. In Lehavim Tenebrionidae (52%) and Carabidae (15%) were the dominant families out of 29 families. Results show that in both sites shrubs provide resource contrast as more organic matter accumulates under shrubs compared to open patches. This measured contrast was not perceived by the beetles, which showed opposite trends in the different sites: In Avdat beetles were more active under shrub patches and in Lehavim in the open patches. Findings offer that mosaic of shrubs and open patches affects beetle diversity, probably by ecosystem engineering, which affect environmental contrasts. To explore the behavioral mechanism behind these patterns further field observations in beetle activity and measurements of environmental contrast are planed.

BIODIVERSITY CHANGES IN TWO BIG BEETLE FAMILIES:
CARABIDAE AND TENEBRIONIDAE ALONG A RAINFALL
GRADIENT IN ISRAEL
Inna Shtirberg(1), T. Dayan(1), M. Sternberg(2) & V.Chikatunov(2)
(1) Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel, [email blocked]
(2) Department of Plant Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

GLOWA Jordan River is a multidisciplinary international research project providing scientific support for sustainable water management in the Jordan River region(http://www.glowa-jordan-river.de/). There are four research stations of the GLOWA Jordan River research project along a north-south rainfall gradient in Israel: Mesic Mediterranean, Mediterranean, Semiarid and Arid ecosystems. In the two central stations (Mediterranean and Semiarid ecosystems) two climate change scenarios (increasing or decreasing rainfall in winter) are tested experimentally in droughted and irrigated plots. In the current work we study the influence of rainfall change on insect fauna. For this purpose, we use pitfall traps filled with propylene glycol. In each study site 60 traps were established. Each trap is opened for five consecutive days. We present here our preliminary results from the spring 2006 and the winter 2007 sampling seasons.
Two species-rich beetle families show opposite trends along the climatic gradient: Carabidae diversity increased from south to north, while Tenebrionidae diversity decreased in the same direction. The difference between these two seasons is that in the winter data the Tenebrionidae family was found only in the southernmost station while Carabidae species were collected in all stations. In the spring data we have no Carabidae specimens in the same southernmost station, while Tenebrionidae species were collected from all research stations. Different species combinations were dominant in the different stations along the rainfall gradient, suggesting that rainfall is a key determinant of community structure. On the other hand, the manipulation studies yield equivocal results so far and no clear pattern can be observed. This research is still ongoing but it is possible that the scale of the current manipulations is too fine to allow for significant differences between relatively large and mobile species.

PATTERNS OF SUCCESSION AND CONSERVATION VALUE OF POST-INDUSTRIAL AREAS IN CENTRAL POLAND BASED ON CARABID FAUNA (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
A. Schwerk & J. Szyszko
Warsaw Agricultural University, Laboratory of Evaluation and Assessment of Natural Resources, Nowoursynowska Street 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland, [email blocked]

An inventory of carabid fauna was carried out over the period of three years (2004-2006) on two different post-industrial areas located in Central Poland. The first area constitutes an artificial heap of ashes produced by a power station, whereas the second area constitutes a heap, which results from brown coal mining. Three study sites of different age on the ash heap and four study sites of different age on the mining heap were studied. A pine forest on natural soil located close to the ash heap was chosen as reference study site.
During the three years of study 2324 individuals from 70 species, some of them first time detected on the regional level, were collected. Multivariate statistical analysis (CA) as well as Mean Individual Biomass (MIB) of Carabidae as indicator of stage of succession point to a delayed succession on the study sites. However, after about 15 years a change in carabid fauna takes part on the mining heap. The succession seems to be even more delayed on the ash heap, even if there is some indication that at a similar age a change in carabid fauna takes place. An analysis of the distribution of the species on the different habitat types and the different stages of succession shows that many species are restricted to a special habit type and even more species are restricted to a special sucessional stage.
The detected patterns of succession seem to be characteristic for many post-industrial areas, particularly those underlying the process of primary succession. The existence of species first time proven on the regional level expresses a value of the areas concerning species conservation. The importance of landscape diversity with respect to habitats and stages of succession is corroborated by the study.

ADDING FIRE TO HARVESTED AREAS IN THE BOREAL FOREST: IS THIS A BETTER EMULATION OF NATURAL WILDFIRE?
Joshua M. Jacobs & John R. Spence
442 Earth Sciences Building, Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, T6G 2E3, [email blocked]

Fire in the boreal forest continues to be one of the largest disturbance agents in terms of area affected. The natural disturbance hypothesis is the idea that by emulating natural disturbance in our forest management practices, stands will more likely retain natural biodiversity levels and forest processes. Emulation of natural disturbance is one of the main goals of the Ecosystem Management by Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) project in Northern Alberta, Canada. To attain this goal forests were harvested in the winter of 1998/1999, and several standing timber prescribed burns have been carried out over the initial 9 years of the project, unfortunately these burns have been sporadic and largely unreplicated. In 2003 fire was again introduced to the EMEND landscape, but this time following harvesting and properly replicated throughout all of the EMEND research site. To examine the influence of fire on this landscape, we studied ground beetle (Carabidae: Coleoptera) ! diversity in harvested, harvested then burned, undisturbed forests and standing timber burns. Ground beetles responded similarly to harvest then burn treatments as to standing timber burns, however, these fires did not attract the unique pyrophilous ground beetles to the same degree found commonly after standing timber burns. Although this new EMEND treatment emulated some aspects of the standing timber fires, these treatments would likely have to be much more intense to approach the patterns and processes observed following natural wildfire.

AFFORESTATION IN MEDITERRANEAN ECOSYSTEMS:
CARABIDAE AND TENEBRIONIDAE IN SEMI-NATURAL
AFFORESTED HABITATS
T. Levanony(1), E. Columbus(1), Y. Mandelik(1,2), V. Chikatunov(1) & T. Dayan(1)
(1) Department of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel, [email blocked]
(2) Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel

Afforested habitats are a major component of many Mediterranean ecosystems. In light of growing development pressure in Mediterranean ecosystems, afforested landscapes become an important component of the remaining open landscape. Afforested habitats comprise 14% of the open areas in the Israeli Mediterranean region. Therefore, understanding the role of these regions in preserving biodiversity and the effect of plantation management on biodiversity is of crucial importance.
We compared population abundances, species richness and community composition of ground dwelling beetles in natural maquis and pine plantations in the Judean foothills, ca. 30 km south-west of Jerusalem. We established twenty-four 0.1 hectare plots in afforested habitats with dominance of Pinus halepensis in two density categories (averages of 240 and 490 trees per hectare), and in natural maquis habitats. We used pitfall traps to sample darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) and ground beetles (Carabidae) - the most common beetle families in the assemblage. Significant differences were found between the natural maquis and the afforested habitats in species composition of Carabidae, but not in abundances or species richness. Abundances and species richness of Tenebrionidae in pine plantations were significantly lower than in natural maquis. Tenebrionidae species composition was significantly different between the two habitats. Densities of pine trees in the afforested plots had no significant effect on both beetle families investigated. We conclude that afforested and natural habitats support a different ground dwelling beetle fauna, and that this pattern obtains at both high and low pine densities. In the dry Mediterranean ecosystem studied, darkling beetles are more sensitive than ground beetles to the differences between the habitats.

EFFECT OF RETENTION TREE GROUP ON CARABID
POPULATIONS AND ASSEMBLAGES IN A CLEAR-CUT AREA
Jarosław Skłodowski
Warsaw Agricultural University, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warszawa, Poland, [email blocked]

The main purpose of the study was to determine the pattern of clear cut area colonization by carabids. Additionally, it was also the objective of the study to learn the possibilities of improvement of the colonizing system, by the means of simple ecological-technical means like small forest islands (tree retention groups) or the spatial orientation of furrows in the clear cut area.
The study was done in two stages. First, in 1996-1999, the study of clear cut area colonization by Carabus arcensis, C. glabratus, C. violaceus and P. niger were conducted with CMR tracing method. In the subsequent stage, in 1996-1998, Carabids assemblages inhabiting another clear cut areas with the tree retention groups were studied using pitfall trap method.
The study was carried out in old-growth pine (Pinus silvestris) islands – tree retention groups (0.02 – 0.09 ha) surrounded by clear cut area. Compared with the adjacent clear cut area, more individuals and species of Carabidae are being captured in the islands, more representatives of forest fauna than non forest fauna. Then, based on the CMR technique, the colonization by carabid fauna of clear cut area together with the left old-growth islands (tree retention group) was studied. As a result it was concluded that some species had slowly colonized the clear cut area, using the clumps of old-growth stands: C. arcensis, C. violaceus. Other species had colonized the entire clear cut area at once, or they colonized different fragments of the clear cut area: P. niger, C. micropterus, P. oblongopunctatus, C. cancellatus, C. convexus, and C. nitens. The non forest species avoided the islands of old growth stands as the less friendly habitats. This last observation supports the idea of maintaining islands in the clear cut area.
Another analyzed topic was the spatial orientation of furrows in the clear cut area and its effect on the process of clear cut area colonization by carabids. Two species, C. arcensis and P. niger, migrated along furrows perpendicular to the longer dimension of the clear cut area, reaching the middle size island and then wandering along other perpendicular or parallel furrows. Perpendicular furrows limited migration rates of a small eurytopic carabid Calathus erratus. It is concluded that the spatial orientation of furrows may be an effective tool for the regulation of migration rate and colonization directions of epigeic fauna in the clear cut areas. The colonization rate of a clear cut area with forest species may be faster if:
- the dimension of clear cut area is reduced: its width should not exceed 60-80m;
- old growth islands of different size stands are remained in the clear cut area; the minimum effective size of an island is 200m2 ;
- the furrows originated following soils preparation prior to planting are oriented perpendicular to the longer axis of the clear cut area;
- no mechanical soil preparation is done but manual planting of forest culture is performed;
- clear cut longer axis is oriented along the east-west direction, this results in the more shadowy clear cut area; to apply such a solution, a thorough analysis of the locally prevailing winds needs to be conducted and considered.

RECOVERY OF BOREAL CARABID ASSEMBLAGES SUBSEQUENT TO VARIABLE RETENTION HARVESTING: EARLY RESULTS FROM THE EMEND EXPERIMENT
John R. Spence(1), Joshua M. Jacobs(1) & Timothy T. Work(2)
(1) Dept of Renewable Resources, 751 GSB, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2H1, Canada, [email blocked]; [email blocked]
(2) C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec a Montréal, H3P 3P8, Canada, [email blocked]

Ecological stability is a common measure applied in modern disturbance ecology. In this paper we will examine the resistance and resilience of carabid communities 1, 2 and 5 years post-harvest to 5 levels of variable retention harvesting (75%, 50%, 20%, 10% and 2% residual structure) in 4 canopy cover types (deciduous dominated, deciduous dominated with coniferous understory, mixedwood and coniferous dominated). The work was conducted in the context of the EMEND experiment in the boreal mixed wood forest of Northern Alberta. Overall, higher retention treatments (75% and 50%) showed more rapid recovery following disturbance. Furthermore, 5 years following disturbance some species showed no signs of recovery and appear to have been locally extirpated in the lower retention treatments. Distributed retention does not appear to life-boat epigaeic carabids through a harvest disturbance and the small (0.2 and 0.4 ha) aggregated retention patches have also proved to be dubious conservation instruments.

Posters
Taxonomy

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FORM OF FRONTAL FURROWS IN
THE TAXONOMY OF THE GENUS NOTIOPHILUS DUM. (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
Arvýdsý Barševskis & Ainars Pankjans
Institute of Systematic Biology, Daugavpils University, VienäLbas Str. 13, Daugavpils, LV-5401, Latvia, [email blocked]

In the world fauna 57 species of the genus Notiophilus Dum. (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are known for the time being, mainly distributed in Holarctic. In recent years several new taxa have been described from Palearctic (China, Nepal, a.o.). The world fauna of Notiophilos has not been revised so far and identification key of the species has not been developed as well. The morphologic features used for species determination of this genus in separate regions (e.g. for European fauna) are often variable and hardly available for their precise diagnosing within the borders of the whole area (e.g. N. aquaticus (L.), N. palustris (Duft.) a.o.).
The aim of our research was to investigate fluidity of frontal furrows and their application options in taxonomy. The research was done with Zeiss LSM 5 Pascal and Zeiss SteREO Lumar V12 microscopes. More than 4000 specimens from more than 50 museum collections from all over the world were used for the research.
In taxonomy of the genus Notiophilus Dum. the following features of frontal furrows have essential importance: number, shape of frontal furrows, level of imprint, distance between furrows. According to number of furrows all species can be divided into two major groups: 1) 6 frontal furrows (N. aquaticus (L.), N. borealis Harold, N. facchinii Bars., N. laticollis Chaud., N. katrinae Bars., N. breviusculus Sols. a.o.); 2) more than 8 frontal furrows (N. geminatus dej., N. danieli Reitt., N. semiopacus Eschsch., N. sierranus Casey a.o.). According to the shape of frontal furrows all species can be divided into several groups: 1) straight frontal furrows (N. germinyi Fv., N. aquaticus (L.), N. palustris (Duft.) a.o.); 2) curved frontal furrows or doubling in the ends (N. geminatus Dej., N. danieli Reitt. a.o.); 3) parallel frontal furrows (N. germinyi Fv., N. aestuans Motsch., N. aquaticus (L.), N. sierranus Casey a.o.); 4) frontal furrows approximated at the bottom (N. biguttatus (F.), N. reiteeri Spaeth, N. palustris (Duft.), N. impressifrons Mor. a.o.). According to the level of imprint: 1) hard pressed frontal furrows (N. palustris (Duft.) a.o.); 2) low pressed frontal furrows (N. geminatus Dej.) a.o.). According to distance between frontal furrows all species can be also divided into several groups, there is no clear border between them, however N. hyperboreus Kryzh. stands out as having noticeably wider distances between frontal furrows. Fluidity of the shape of frontal furrows has been observed for some species (N. aquaticus (L.), N. palustris (Duft.) a.o.). For the majority this feature can be used well in taxonomy species determination.

REVIEW OF THE GENUS BROSCUS PANZER, 1813 (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) OF THE WORLD FAUNA
Andris Bukejs
Institute of Systematic Biology, Daugavpils University, VienäLbas Str. 13, Daugavpils, LV-5401, Latvia; [email blocked]

Genus Broscus Panzer, 1813 is represented by 24 species and 2 subspecies in the world fauna. Taxonomic status of some species is controvertible, because they are described recently, have not been found in a long period after the description or their difference from other species (especially subspecies) is very small.
Genus Broscus occur in the Western Palaearctic region, mainly in the Mediterraneum, as well as in Himalaya and in the mountains of Central Asia. The northern border of the distribution goes through the southern part of Scandinavia (southern coast of Norway up to 60oN of latitude; south and central part of Sweden up to 61oN of latitude; Finland up to 64oN of latitude), Kola peninsula and up to Polar Ural and the southern part of the West Siberian plain. The southern border goes through North Africa (Canary islands, Algeria, Tunis, Libya, Egypt), Sinai peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Southwest Asia, northern part of India (Sikkim, Darjeeling), Nepal, Buthan and up to the southwest part of China (Xizang, Sichuan, Yunnan).
Recently it was introduced in North America (the eastern part of the island Prince Edward and Nova Scotia) and in Middle Siberia. In both cases the introduced species is B. cephalotes L.
The species richness is distributed in various parts of the world as follows: in Europe - 7 species, in Asia - 18 species, in North Africa and Macaronesian region - 6 species.
Sixteen species (67 % of the total number of species) of the genus Broscus Pz. are distributed locally and their ranges often encompass one island, a mountain slope or valley. Only three species have a wide distribution: B. cephalotes L. - is widely distributed in Europe; B. punctatus Dej. - from Egypt through the Arabian peninsula, southern part of Central Asia, southern Himalaya up to central China; B. semistriatus Dej. - in the steppe zone of Eurasia.
Three endemic species of this genus are characteristic for the southern Europe: B. insularis Pioch. (Balearic Islands, Mallorca), B. portugalus Freude (Portugal), B. uhagoni Bolivar (Spain, Toledo). For Macaronesian region endemics are three species: B. crassimargo Woll. (Canary Islands, La Gomera), B. glaber Br. (Canary Islands, Gran Canaria) and B. rutilans Woll. (Canary Islands, Tenerife). On other islands of this region the genus Broscus Pz. is absent.
The highest number of endemic species of Broscus is recorded from Asia - 10 species. One species - B. declivis Dej. is distributed in foothill and low mountainous areas contiguous to valleys of the rivers Chu and Ili, as well as in Issyk-Kulskya lowland. The others 9 species occur in high-mountainous massifs of Himalayas, Tibet and Tian-Shan. From central Himalayas B. bipilifer Andrewes and B. taurulus Andrewes (northern India, Sikkim), and also B. eberti Jedl. and B. jaegeri Schmidt (Nepal) were recorded; in the eastern Himalayas (Buthan) B. costatus Morvan occurs. In the northeast Tibet (China, Qinghai) - B. potanini Sem., B. przewalski Sem., and B. kozlovi Kryzh. are distributed on the western slopes of Alashan (China, Nei Mongol). From the east Tian-Shan B. angustulus Sem. (China, north part of province Xinjiang) is known.
Genus Broscus contains of two subgenera - Broscus s.str. (with 19 species) and Nepalobroscus Habu (with 5 species; it inhabits the high-mountains massifs (up to 3800 - 4200 m) in the central and eastern parts of Himalayas).
The species of the genus Broscus usually do not tend to form subspecies. Only in B. eberti Jedl. and B. jaegeri Schmidt from central Himalayas in 2000 and 1997 the subspecies were described.
The species B. bipilifer Andrewes, B. costatus Morvan, B. portugalus Freude, B. taurulus Andrewes and B. uhagoni Bolivar are known only by type materials.

LARVAL CHAETOTAXY OF RHYSODES SULCATUS (FABRICIUS, 1787) AND THE PLACE OF RHYSODIDAE IN ADEPHAGA
K.V. Makarov
Zoology & Ecology Department, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str., 6 build. 5, Moscow 129164, Russia, [email blocked]

The place of family Rhysodidae in suborder Adephaga is still under discussion. Various authors considered it as independent family (Jeannel, 1941; Ponomarenko, 1995), subfamily (Erwin, 1991) or even a tribe (Bell, 1998) within Carabidae. Larval characters were used in this discussion (Beutel, 1992), however there were no special studies on chaetotaxy.
Based on material from Europe and Caucasia, the late instar larvae of Rhysodes sulcatus (Fabricius, 1787) were studied. Their chaetome is distinctly of Carabid type and the considerable part of setae can be definitely homologized with basic elements of Carabidae’ chaetome (Bousquet, Goulet, 1984). Moderate oligochaetosis of Rhysodes larvae possibly may be explained as a sequent of their xylobiontic life style. The most characteristic features: reduction of discal setae and formation of complicated labiomaxillar complex with heavily modificated appendages. Labial palpsare not reduced, as it has considered before (Burakowski, 1975; Grandi, 1972), but fused with prementum (this is proved by sensilla pattern) and form together unified labial plate. Galea is fused with lacinia and lateral parts of labial plate, forming porous structure. At the same time, the apical sensorial complex of galea is preserved, that’s why it is possible to establish the homology.
Mentioned complex of features can be characterized as unique one, confirming the high rank of Rhysodidae, up to family level. The pointed specificity of morphology hampers the search of direct analogies in other families, but it is possible to reveal a number of coincidences on a tendency level. So, the similar modifications of labium, the similar pattern of frontal sensillae and legs’ chaetotaxy are found in first instar larvae of Archostemata (Grebennikov, 2004). Epipharingeal lobe is recorded in Ozaenini larvae, and similar modifications of galea and lacinia are known in Archostemata and Paussinae (Bousquet, 1986; Di Giulio et al., 2003; Di Giulio, Moore,2004; Moore, Di Giulio, 2006). Besides, a number of plesiomorphic characters of wing venation were pointed for Rhysodidae (Fedorenko, 2006).
This data together with the paleontological material suggest that Rhysodidae may be the relatively young group within Adephaga, the specialized derivation of cretaceous Archostemata. It is not excepting, that a number of Carabidae taxa (e.g. Paussinae) must be considered as the descendant of the same phylogenetic line. This hypothesis explains the combination of paleontological youth and plesiomorphic features of Paussinae (Nagel, 1997), but results in the acception of the polyphily of Carabidae.

ADAPTIVE RADIATION OF CARABID LARVAE(COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
Inessa Kh. Sharova
Department of Ecology & Zoology, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str. 6, Build. 5, Moscow 129164, Russia

Two systems of life forms of Carabid larvae are present now (Sharova, 1981; Zetto Brandmayr et al., 1998). Synthesis of numerous literature sources on their morphology and adaptations made possible to develop a new version of life forms system, based on previously stated hierarchical foundations (Sharova, 1981). It reflects a large variety of Carabid larvae adaptations, connected with type of feeding, capturing prey, life in different levels of biogeocenosis, etc. On the basis of this updated system, a hypothesis of main trends of adaptive radiation of Carabid larvae is set up. The general trend is the diversification of zoophags, which reflects the expansion of all possible habitat’s layers. Among zooophags, there are phytobionts with running and climbing-types of legs, epigeobionts - the dwellers of the ground surface with legs adapted for walking and running, and well developed organs of sense; stratobionts, occurring in litter, top layers of soil, borrows and caves; geobionts with digging legs - the dwellers of soil strata with hemi-cryptic and cryptic way of life. Especially notable among zoophags are hole-ambuscaders with S-like or sacciform body. They borrow holes in the soil, wood and ant hills. The second trend is the transformation from zoophagia through myxophyto- to phytophagia. This is characteristic for Zabrini and Harpalini larvae. Among myxophytophags, the dwellers of various layers of soil can be differentiated: stratobionts, stratogeobionts and geobionts, which are characterized by strengthening of adaptations for borrowing and cryptic life style. Phytophags have adaptations for feeding both vegetative plants (zabroid) and seeds (ophonoid, ditomoid). For the latter, a progressive development of parental care exists. Other trends, leading to origin of the specific life forms, are derivative. Thus, regressive aphagous larvae (some troglobiontic Trechini with viviparity and embryonisation of development), symbionts and inquilines of ants and termites (Paussinae), ectoparasites with hypermetamorphosis (Brachinini and part of Lebiini) are evolved on the basis of various stratobionts-zoophags. As for mycetophags (Mormolycini) - they seem to be the specialized myxophags. During the comparison of the adaptive radiation of Carabidae adults and larvae, there were revealed the trends of conjugated evolution, as well as distinct amphygenesis.

A review of genus Omophron Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Mediterranean Basin fauna and distribution
Uldis Valainis
Institute of Systematic Biology, Daugavpils University, Vienýbas Str. 13 – 229, Daugavpils, LV-5401, Latvia, [email blocked]

In the Mediterranean region the genus Omophron Latr. (Coleoptera: Carabidae) is represented by 3 species, which belong to two sub-genera Omophron Latr. and Phrator Sem. One of the species which occurs in the region (P. variegatum Oliv.) is endemic for Mediterranean basin. Nowadays it is used to outline four P. variegatum Oliv. sub-species – P. variegatum variegatum Oliv., P. variegatum sardoum Reitt., P. variegatum boiteli Alluaud and P. variegatum seurati Alluaud. P. variegatum variegatum Oliv. is distributed in Spain, Portugal and Algeria. P. variegatum sardoum Reitt. can be traced only in Sardinia, P. variegatum boiteli Alluaud is known from Northern Tunisia, but P. variegatum seurati Alluaud. from Southern Tunisia.
Afro-tropical area (Somalian and Eastafrican regions) is basic area of distribution for one species, which occurs in Mediterranean region as well (P. multiguttatum Chaud.). In Northern Africa and Mediterranean region this species can be traced only in Nilotic delta. O. limbatum (F.) is the species which has the widest area of distribution in the Mediterranean region and whole Palearctic. The range of this species occupies Euro-Siberian, Mediterranean and Central Asian regions. In Mediterranean region thisspecies occurs in whole European part, in the Asian part the species is known from Turkey, Syria, but in the African part – from Algeria.
The research is done owing to financial means from the grant in European Social Fund project No VPD1/ESF/PIAA/04/NP/3.2.3.1./0001/0003/065.

THE ENDOSKELETON OF THORACIC SEGMENTS OF CARABID LARVAE (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE)
Artjom A. Zaitsev
Department of Zoology, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str., 6 build. 5, Moscow 129164, Russia, [email blocked]

The adaptive features of external structures of Coleoptera larvae, connected with locomotion in different habitats (urogomphi, modifications of X abdominal segment, etc) are well studied. Besides morpho-functional analysis, these characters are often used in systematics of various taxon ranks. At the same time, the data on muscular system, and structure of endoskeleton in particular, is fragmentary and rarely used in the taxonomy of order. For clarification of taxonomic value of endoskeleton’s characters it is important to recognize the degree of its liability to parallel development. The best way to find it out is the study of different life forms within one family. Among Coleoptera, Carabidae are notable for a large diversity of larval life forms (Sharova, 1981; Brandmayr et al., 1998), so they were chosen as target taxon. The endoskeleton of thoracic segments of larvae, belong to 11 tribes of Carabidae was studied. Its groundplan appeared to be fundamentally invariable and consisted of a set of intersegmental, pleural, and sternal apodemes, as well as large furcas. However, there is an exception for high specialized larvae of Cicindelini and Orthogonini, which endoskeleton differs greatly in the shape and size of thoracic apodemes (Barlet, 2003; personal observation). The family Rhysodidae (Rhysodes sp.) was chosen for comparison, because of its questionable status (Ponomarenko, 1995; Erwin, 1991; Bell, 1998). It turned out that its endoskeleton consists of poorly developed pleural apodemes; furcas and intersegmental apodemes are absent. So it can be the reason to consider rhysodids as at least separate family. More precise conclusions could be made after investigating the endoskeleton of Archostemata larvae. As a result of accumulated data on Carabidae and other families, we conclude that the endoskeleton characters can well be used in the taxonomy at family level of Coleoptera, though it is unsuitable for systematic of low-rank taxa due to the numerous cases of parallel development.

Posters
Faunistics, Habitat Selection and Community Ecology

THE CARABUS FAUNA OF ISRAEL – FAUNISTICS, HABITAT SELECTION, AND IDENTIFICATION KEY
Thorsten Assmann(1), Claudia Drees(1), Tal Levanony(2), Andrea Matern(1),
Anika Timm(1) & David Wrase(3)
(1) Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, D-21332 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]
(2) Tel Aviv University, Department of Zoology, The National Collections of Natural History, Ramat-Aviv, Tel Aviv, IL-69978 Israel
(3) Dunckerstr. 78, D-10437 Berlin, Germany

The Carabus fauna of Israel was first described by a fundamental work of Schweiger. Additions were made mainly by Kleinfeld, Rapuzzi, and Deuve in the last years. In the course of ecological studies in northern Israel, an additional species was recorded for Israel for the first time and one species previously known exclusively from north-eastern Israel (and adjacent countries) was also found in Upper Galilee. The present day knowledge of the distribution, faunistics, and habitat selection of the members of the genus Carabus has been pooled and a new key for the identification of the Israeli species is given.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ISLAND WETLANDS FOR THE CARABID BEETLES FAUNA
M. Babajko(1) & S. Vujèiæ-Karlo(2) (1) Public institution for management of protected areas in the county of Zadar, B.Vranjana 11, 23000 Zadar, Croatia, [email blocked]
(2) Natural History Department, National Museum of Zadar, Meduliæeva 2, 23000 Zadar, Croatia, [email blocked]

The Islands of north Dalmatia have been populated for centuries, and natural characteristics of habitats have disappeared. The main cultures are olives, grapevine and pasturage that came into existence by burning macchia and forest vegetation. With that kind of managing, the soil from the most of the Island was washed into the sea. Large parts of the soil were kept only on the plain parts. These parts were used for agriculture. Near the fields, people often made artificial puddles, mostly on the places where the water was anyhow retained. We were researching carabid beetles fauna around two puddles on two islands, Dugi otok and Pag. One was artificial and situated in the field where vegetable was cultivated. The other one was natural and situated in the middle of the plain pasture. As control sites, we took distant habitats with similar vegetation. We determined that diversity and abundance of population is considerably higher near the puddles. Some of the endemic species were not around the puddles, but were mostly maintained in the natural habitat. Around the puddles, we noticed solid population of typical species for dry habitats. Those species were not noticed on rocky grounds and dry meadows away from the water.

CARABIDS ON PLANTATIONS OF FAST GROWING PLANTS IN AN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE
Jaroslav Bohac, Ivo Celjak, Jan Moudry & Pavel Kohout University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Agriculture, Studentska 13, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, [email blocked]

The communities of carabids were studied on the plantations of fast growing plants in South Bohemia. The samples were picked up using pitfall trapping and soil sampling. The plantations of fast growing plants are an important biocentrum for many species of carabids in an agricultural landscape. They serve as a biocorridor for the migration of carabid beetles. Project is supported by the grant No. 2BO06131 “Alternative utilization of biomass in the energetics” of the Ministery of Education and Youth of the CR.

A PRELIMINARY LIST OF CARABIDAE ASSOCIATED AT NATURAL AND PLANTED PINE (PINUS HALEPINSIS) IN CENTRAL ALGERIA
N. Brague Bouragba(1), A. Brague(2) & L. Kadik(3)
(1) National Institute of Forest Research, Djelfa B.P. 1334 Djelfa 17003 Algeria, [email blocked]
(2) National Institute of Forest Research, Djelfa B.P. 1334 Djelfa 17003 Algeria, [email blocked]
(3) University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene Algiers, Algeria.

This study concerns carabid beetles associated with natural and planted Pinus halepinsis in the highlands of central Algeria. We selected two natural forests - Senalba et Djellal - and two reforested areas - El-Mesrane and Moudjbara. Carabids were captured by pitfall traps with 15 traps per site, during one year. Associated plants in each site were also identified. Statistic analysis (DCA, Shannon indices, Diversity and Equitability) were done by using PcOrd Version 4

DIVERSITY AND HABITAT PREFERENCES OF CARABID BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) ON WETLANDS IN THE LONJSKO POLJE NATURE PARK (CROATIA)
A. Brigiæ(1), S. Vujèiæ-Karlo(2), Z. Stanèiæ(3) & A. Alegro(4)
(1) Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, [email blocked]
(2) Natural History Department, National Museum of Zadar, Meduliæeva 2, 23000 Zadar, Croatia, [email blocked]
(3) Ul. Stjepana Radiæa 28, 49221 Bedekovèina, Croatia, [email blocked]
(4) Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Maruliæev trg 20/II, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, [email blocked]

The carabid beetles were studied in wetland habitats of the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park (Croatia). Seven habitats differing in vegetation, ground texture, human influence and impact of flooding waters were selected. Field investigations took place between April 2000 and April 2001 and between April 2002 and November 2002. An increase in number of species was found along the gradient from closed to open habitat mainly due to high anthropogenic impact. For this reason quite a large number of species captured were ubiquists. A different habitat preference was observed in the species of the carabid assemblages. The most carabids collected were associated with open habitats, eurytopic and capable of flight. Extremley rare wetland species, as Blethisa multipunctata, occured in low denisities. The dominant species were Brachinus crepitans (with a high dominance value), Ophonus diffinis, Carabus cancellatus, C. granulatus, Pterostichus melas, P. melanarius, Harpalus progrediens etc. Different diversity indices were applied.

Does capturability of carabids in pitfall traps VARY with canopy-closure in forest stands?
Emmanuelle A. Dauffy-Richard, Frédéric Archaux, Christophe Bouget &
Frédéric Gosselin
Cemagref – Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Research, BIOFOR Team – Sustainable management and biodiversity of forest ecosystems, Domaine des Barres, F-45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France, [email blocked]

Many studies on carabid ecology rely on the comparison of carabid assemblages among various habitat types, assuming that pitfall trap catches are not biased by the environmental conditions. However, some authors have already suspected that the structure of the vegetation surrounding pitfall traps may have an impact on thetrapping efficiency by modifying carabid movements, either through a barrier effect of ground-vegetation or though micro-climatic conditions influencing beetle activity.
Therefore, we wonder whether there might be a strong bias in capturability of carabid species between habitat types: does capture probability of carabid species strongly vary with canopy-closure degree in forest stands ?
Without real capture-marked-recapture experiments of individuals, a probability of capture for a set of species can yet be estimated by using spatially-repeated measures of carabid assemblages, thanks to probabilistic methods coming from capture-mark-recapture theoretical models applied to community ecology.
Thus, to evaluate the difference in capture probability between various habitat types, we will analyse a carabid data set of 100 plots of different forest stages and structures within a French temperate oak forest (Montargis state forest, 4000 ha). In each plot, 4 traps, half-filled with a solution of 50% ethylene-glycol, were arranged in the four corners of a 14 m x 14 m square and were activated during 3 one-week periods in late spring and late summer.
We will first see if the degree of canopy closeness of the plot forest stand modifies the form of the species accumulation curves from a 1-trap-by-plot strategy to a 4-trap-by-plot strategy. Then, the species capture probability will be estimated at the plot scale and compared between closed-canopy and open-canopy plots. If the number of overlooked species in the pitfall catches significantly differed between both habitat types, the comparison of their carabid faunas would then be less easy.

HOW DOES FOREST HISTORY INFLUENCE GROUND BEETLES AT A LOCAL SCALE? RESULTS OF DETAILED GRADIENT STUDIES IN THE MEERDAAL FOREST COMPLEX (BELGIUM)
K. Desender(1), H. Dhuyvetter(1), B. Bossuyt(2) & F. Hendrickx(2)
(1) Department of Entomology, RBINSc, Vautierstr. 29, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium, [email blocked]
(2) Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Ghent University, Belgium.

Recent developments in forest research have stressed the importance of historical ecology in shaping diversity and evolutionary potential of woodland plants and animals, especially in Western Europe. This study is part of a larger project to identify the patterns and processes generated by forest history and ground beetle dispersal and genetics on the development of valuable forest stands, an objective which is tackled at differing spatial scales in Belgian forests from different eco-regions. One part of the project studies carabid migration into and re-colonisation of reforested plots of different age, adjacent to ancient forest in the Meerdaal Forest Complex (central Belgium). Detailed sampling was therefore performed with pitfall traps, arranged along 3 transects at increasing distance from the ecotone between ancient forest and adjacent (more recent) forest plots (stands between 45 to 150 years old, one transect in a more humid forest valley). Transects started from 90m inside ancient forest, at distance intervals of 30 m, and each consisted of about 10 sampling sites with three traps each, emptied at fortnightly intervals during the field season from March-November 2005. On several of these sites, parallel live-trapping was performed in order to obtain beetles for genetic study. About 26.000 ground beetles were identified to 63 species. Results on the observed influences of forest history are analysed within the context of plant and soil characteristics as well as spatial autocorrelation. They show that some carabids strongly prefer ancient plots, while many others do penetrate in more recent forest or prefer more disturbed recent plots, depending on their habitat specificity. True edge effects therefore occur at ancient-recent forest interfaces and suggest the possibility of source-sink effects for interior forest species. Dispersal limitation, suggested to be very important for ancient forest plants, might be less important for beetles at a local scale.

UNDERSTORY LIGHT AND GROUND BEETLES PATHWAYS IN NATURAL FORESTS OF MEDVEDNICA NATURE PARK, CROATIA
Lucija Šeriæ Jelaska & Paula Durbešiæ
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia, e-mail: [email blocked]

For this investigation, five plots (50 x 50 m) were selected in forest ecosystems along the centre profile of Mt. Medvednica on both downhills of the mountain. Ground beetles were collected in 16 pitfall traps on each plot, placed in a regular rectangular net with cell size of 10x10 meters placed ten meters from the edges of the plot. Altogether, 80 pitfall traps were exposed through the vegetation season. Available understory light was measured with Sixtomat Flash “Gossen” apparatus during the May, when vegetation was fully developed. On all plots relative light were measured above each pitfall trap in comparison with available light measured in close open nonforest area. Pearson Product-Moment correlations were calculated between species abundance and portion of available light for each trap on five plots. For analyses only data about dominant and subdominant species were considered. Presence of most of the analyzed species was negatively correlated with light portion above traps throughout the investigated period. Statistically significant positive correlation was found for Carabus irregularis species.

CARABID BEETLES AS INDICATORS OF THE STATE OF FLOODPLAIN ECOSYSTEM
M. Kirichenko & R. Babko
Department of ethology and sociobiology of insects, Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine, B. Khmielnicky str. 15, Kiev-30, 01601 Ukraine, [email blocked]

There two estimations, those are especially important on account of intensive negative influence on river floodplain: the estimation of the biodiversity level and the estimation of disturbance of intrazonal biocenosis structural organization. Carabid beetles are traditionally used as indicators of the ecosystem conditions (Eyre, Luff 1990, Luff et al. 1992). Information about spatial distribution of carabids became a reason for conferring the ecological status to each species. Spatial orientation of carabids on the type of vegetation is main criterion for their division into the ecological groups (meadow species, forest species etc.) (Arnoldi et al. 1971, Sharova, Matveeva, 1974, Khotko, 1991, Voronin, 1995). Many researches use the quantitative abundance of species in one of the landscapes element as a main ground for giving them the ecological status (Gryuntal, 1993, Vakarenko, Khomenko, 1994, Bulokhova, 1995, Soboleva-Dokuchaeva, 1995). As a result, the same species may have the various ecological statuses. The studies in the separate elements of transformed floodplains and data extrapolation on the floodplain a whole can reduce to the unfounded exaggeration of estimation biodiversity level. The our investigations carried out in floodplain of a 1st, 2nd and 3rd order tributaries of Dnepr River (Ukraine) showed, that carabid beetles don’t have structure in the single floodplain elements, but perceive the whole floodplain as holistic life space. As a result of our floodplain investigations we single out two carabid assemblages: riparian assemblage and floodplain assemblage. The riparian carabid assemblages are localized on the banks of large and middle-sized rivers only. At the same time the typical species of riparian assemblages do not colonize the banks of small streams with weakly expressed coast elements. That is why the banks of small rivers cannot be the refuge for riparian carabids. The riparian carabid beetles do not colonize the banks of floodplain ponds. Lakesides are occupied by typical floodplain species.

CARABID BEETLE (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) SPECIES DIVERSITY IN TWO NATURAL RESERVES AT RHODOPE MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA
Rumyana Kostova
Faculty of Biology, University of Sofia, Dragan Tsankov Str. 8, 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria, [email blocked]

The proposed study is a part of a project funded by Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science for investigation of the biodiversity in two natural reserves at the northern hills of Western Rhodope - Mantaritza and Kupena. The nature ecosystems in these Biosphere reserves are unique and are rated by UNESCO. The ground beetles from those areas are known only after scarce records.
The carabid assemblages from the forest habitats typical for the reserves were compared. The material was collected by 10 pitfall traps at each site and in addition sifting was made. Generally 35 species belonging to 17 genera were collected. Most of the species were common for both reserves. However, there are species that occur only in particular habitats and are representative for them. The zoogeographic structure, life forms and species diversity of the assemblages were analyzed. The conservation value of these habitats is discussed.

TOWARDS COMBINED METHODS FOR RECORDING GROUND BEETLES: PITFALL TRAPS, HAND PICKING, AND SIFTING IN OPEN AND WOODY HABITATS OF ISRAEL
A. Timm(1), T. Dayan(2), C. Drees(1), T. Levanony(2) & T. Assmann(1)
(1) Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]
(2) Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

Experience from Europe and other temperate and boreal regions proves the fact that most carabid species can be detected by pitfall traps (perhaps with the exception of the tree climbing species Dromiini and a few other species).
At two sites in Upper Galilee we studied the ground beetle fauna using pitfall traps (Duration: one year; preserving agent: a mixture of ethanol, acetic acid, and glycerol).The sites were an open meadow with dominance of Sarcopotherium spinosum and a woodland dominated by Quercus calliprinos. In the open habitat ground beetles were also collected by hand (mainly below stones) and in the woodland the top layer of the soil including litter was sifted and the beetles were afterwards picked from a white sheet.
The results indicate that most species were collected by pitfall traps on both sites. We were unable to find sufficient individuals of the genus Carabus by hand collecting or sifting, but this did not apply to most other species (excluding Eucarterus sparsutus and an Antisphodrus species). Sifting also enabled us to record species of the genera Metadromius and Trechus from the litter layer. At least one of these species has extraordinarily high population densities (about 20 specimens per square metre) but was never found in pitfall traps (other small species such as those of the genus Microlestes had been caugh in pitfall traps). In the open land species were also found which are related to ants (Macrochilus saulcyi, Paussus turcicus) or live in the superficial underground compartment (e.g. Zuphium numidicum and a microphthalmic Parazuphium species). A rarefaction comparison of the catches indicates that the pitfall traps withoutadditional sampling (hand picking, sifting) give an insight only into a part of the species pool at a given site. In Mediterranean habitats in particular, several methods are needed to detect many of the ground beetle species representing a broad spectrum from endogeic to parasitic life forms.

LONG TERM BIOGEOGRAPHICAL CHANGES IN CARABID COMMUNITIES IN TWO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE NETWORK (ECN) SITES IN SCOTLAND
Gabor Pozsgai
Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK, [email blocked]

Ground beetles were collected from three different habitats located within two of the Environmental Change Network (ECN) sites in Scotland (Glensaugh and Sourhope). The habitats were: grassland, dry heather moor land and blanket bog. Capture data of 12 years were analyzed. The 50 species that were caught over this period were categorized into 7 main biome groups as “Boreo-arctic montane”, “Wide-boreal”, “Boreal-montane”, “Boreo-temperate”, “Wide-temperate”, “Temperate”, “Southern-temperate” using the system after Anderson et al (2000). Each of the main groups was divided into 6 subcategories but species could not be found from all of those subcategories. Most of the species belonged to the “Boreo-temperate” group with species which occur more or less equally in the Boreal and Temperate zones (42%). The second most numerous group was the category “Wide-temperate” (32%) containing the species with distribution centred on the Temperate zone but found widely in the Boreal and Southern zones. The majority of the species belonged to the “Eurosiberian” and “European” distribution groups.
In the grassland at ECN both sites there is an increase in the number of the “Wide-boreal” species and a significant decrease of the “Boreo-temperate” species. The number of the “Wide-temperate” species is also slightly increased.
In the dry moor habitat there is no significant change in the proportion of the number of the “Wide-boreal” and “Boreo-temperate” species but a remarkable 3 year periodicity can be recognized with opposite amplitude.
The blanket bog habitat shows difference between the two sites. At Glensaugh a steep increase in the number of the “Boreo-temperate” species can be found parallel with a decrease in the “Wide-boreal” and “Wide-temperate” species. These trends are not noticed at Sourhope.
Significant differences could not been found in changes in the activity time of the species.

THE IMPACT OF SMALL MAMMALS ON GROUND BEETLES DIVERSITY IN A CULTIVATED DANISH LANDSCAPE
V. Pulieri(1,2) & G. Lövei(2)
(1) University of Äarhus, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Integrated Pest Management, Flakkebjerg Research Centre, DK4200 Slagelse, Denmark, [email blocked]
(2) Dipartimento di Ecologia, Università della Calabria, via P. Bucci, 87036 - Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italia.

Ground beetles are preyed upon by different other organisms, including small mammals that may have serious impact on ground beetle density and diversity. In three hedgerows (Crataegus monogyna, Sorbus intermedia, Picea glauca) of central Jutland, Denmark, both small mammals and ground beetles were sampled (independently of each other) in the same habitats over two years, during which there was a large difference in the density of small mammals. In three hedge types, the pattern of distribution of ground beetles through a split analysis for cluster traps showed a high concentration of carabids mainly in sites where the density of small mammals was lower. Analysis of the presence of “big” carabids (size > 11.83 mm) revealed a decrease mainly in Sorbus intermedia and Picea glauca habitats. However, the results of the analysis of diversity using the Rényi diversity index family indicated that the diversity of ground beetle assemblages was not affected by small mammals.

EFFECTS OF PRESCRIBED FIRE AND NITROGEN ADDITION ON CARABID BEETLES OF CALLUNA-HEATHLANDS IN NW SPAIN
A. Taboada(1), D. Cuesta(1), L. Calvo(2) & J.M. Salgado(1)
Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, (1) Area of Zoology, (2) Area of Ecology, University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, E-24071 León, Spain, [email blocked]

We aimed at investigating the effects of experimental burning and nitrogen fertilization on the carabid beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) fauna of Calluna vulgaris heathlands in NW Spain. We intended to determine these effects (each treatment separately and both treatments combined) one year after prescribed fire and during the second year of nitrogen addition.
Three sites of Calluna-heathland were selected and four permanent plots of 20x20 m were established in each site: 1) control plot, without treatment; 2) burned plot, controlled fire in June 2005; 3) fertilized plot, monthly fertilized (June-October 2005 and 2006) with ordinary granules of ammonium nitrate manually spread (56 kg N ha-1 yr-1, equivalent to twice the current maximum pollution levels in this area); 4) burned plus fertilized plot, both treatments combined. Plastic pitfall traps were usedto collect the beetles from May to October 2006. Six traps were placed in each plot (72 in total). Ten experimental sampling units (1x1m) were located in each plot to estimate the visual percentage cover of vascular plant species and bare soil.
A total of 2068 individuals and 34 species were collected. Our results indicated that at the assemblage level carabid beetles were: (a) positively affected by fire (either separately or combined with N-fertilization) in terms of overall abundance but not rarefied species richness; and (b) slightly affected by nitrogen addition (i.e. similar results were obtained for control and fertilized plots). At the individual species level, (c) most of the species analysed responded positively and significantly to fire (i.e. increase in abundance after burning), such as Bembidion and Poecilus spp; while (d) only one species (Carabus macrocephalus) was significantly benefited by nitrogen addition. Carabid responses to the treatments will be discussed regarding the habitat and trophic classifications of the species and related to vegetation structure and composition.

RECOVERY OF THE CARABID BEETLE (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) FAUNA OF QUERCUS PYRENAICA FORESTS ONE YEAR AFTER A WILDFIRE IN NW SPAIN
S. Tejero, A. Taboada, J.M. Salgado & R. Tárrega
Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, E-24071 León, Spain, [email blocked]

We examined the effects of burning on the distribution patterns of the carabid beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) fauna of oak forests in NW Spain one year after a wildfire. Our aim was to assess whether there were still differences in the carabid fauna of burned and unburned oak forests after the first post-fire year at both the assemblage and individual species levels. Also we asked to which extent these differences could be related to the partial recovery of the vegetation structure one year after the fire.
We selected four independent burned plots (wildfire, August 2005) and two control ones located in two different oak (Quercus pyrenaica) forests two kilometres apart. Carabid beetles were captured from May to October 2006 by placing six pitfall traps in each plot (36 traps in total). Vegetation sampling (percentage cover of vascular plant species and bare soil) was carried out in June 2006. GLM and multivariate analyses were performed in order to look for differences in the carabid fauna of burned and control plots.
A total of 937 individuals (22 species) were captured. Pterostichus cristatus and Calathus rotundicollis were the most abundant species (75 % of the total catch), collected from both burned and control plots. Our results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in overall abundance and species richness between both treatments. However, we detected differences in the carabid assemblage composition of burned and unburned plots in terms of exclusively or more abundantly collected species. Furthermore, eight of twelve species tested responded statistically significantly to fire, with seven species clearly associated to burned plots and one associated to the control ones. Results on the species-specific responses to wildfire will be presented and the possible effects of the environmental variables measured on the composition of the carabid assemblages will be discussed.

VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT PREFERENCES OF CARABIDS ON THE SOUTH VELEBIT MOUNT IN CROATIA
S. Vujèiæ-Karlo(1), G. Lukaè(2) & A. Brigiæ(3)
(1) Natural History Department, National Museum of Zadar, Meduliæeva 2, 23000 Zadar, Croatia, [email blocked]
(2) National Park Paklenica, Franje Tuðmana 14a, 23244 Starigrad, [email blocked]
(3) Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, [email blocked]

According to the great endemism and natural landscapes the Velebit mount is protected like a Nature Park and, in part, as a National Park. This mount is situated on the east side of Adriatic coast with great influence of the Mediterranean climate from one side, and the continental from the other. Natural vegetation are woods, differ according to the climate, altitude, exposition and the soil type. Thanks to the intensive forestation, sheep-breeding and land cultivation, the vegetation was changed and the primaveral forests were replaced with the limestone pasture ground with sparse vegetation or grassland. The woods are still present on a higher altitude and on the bottom of the mount. In the last 50 years the influence of the forestation and sheeping was low and limited on a smaller area. This management has resulted in a fragmented landscape. The aim of our investigation was to find out how the past changes influenced the carabids fauna. We have chosen 17 sites along the vertical gradient in a different kind of plant communities from the primaveral forests to meadows, and collected the ground beetles for one year. The results have shown that the endemic fauna still exist in the primaveral forests, but that some forest species can also be found on the limestone fields with sparse vegetation. The population size in this area was very small. The fauna of a rocky ground differ from the fauna on the meadows and was more similar to the forest fauna.

USE OF GENUS CARABUS AS BIOINDICATOR IN SHORT ROTATION COPPICE
Ivana Zanova
Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Publ. Res. Inst., Kvetnové námìsti 391, 252 43 Prùhonice, Czech Republic, phone +420 296 528 297

The importance of short rotation coppice (SRC) as biomass for energy is undoubted. On the present a question under debate is biodiversity in short rotation coppice. Level of biodiversity could be graduated by quality and quantity of species of a certain local fauna. I studied this phenomenon in the experimental fields of Sila Tapouca Research Institute using genus Carabus. The aim of the study was to compare the distributions of genus Carabus in three biotopes, grass field, SRC and forest. The present poster presents the preliminary results obtained in the first years of work.

RARITY AND FREQUENCY EXPERIENCED IN A 13 YEAR LONG MONITORING, IN A HUNGARIAN WETLAND AREA
Zsolt Sághy(1) & Sándor Bérces(2)
(1) Novochem Trading and Service Co. Ltd., pf. 13, Györ 9011, Hungary, [email blocked]
(2) Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate, Hûvösvölgyi út 52., Budapest, 1021 Hungary

A 13-year study from 1993-2005 of ground beetles was carried out in the protected area of Kis-Balaton, Western Hungary. Pitfall-traps (15) with modified Barber liquid were placed along a transect and were operating continuously. The traps caught 13,824 individuals, belonging to 144 species. In the 13 years 22 species were caught in one specimen which is 15% of the total number of species, but only 0,16% of the total number of specimens. 29 species were caught only in one year, which is 20% of the total amount of species. From the total of 144 specimen only 7 occurred in each year, which is only 4,8% of the total number of species, and 32% of the total caught specimen. The frequency of species were ranked from the most frequent to rare, and plotted in a logarithmic scale. We examined the changes the total numbers caught of the dominant species. Dominant was a species considered when it was responsible for at least 10% of the samples in at least one year. Dominant species were: Amara communis (Panzer, 1797), Carabus cancellatus Illiger, 1798, Carabus clathratus Linneaus, 1761, Carabus granulatus Linneaus, 1758, Poecilus cupreus (Linneaus, 1758), Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger, 1798), and Trechus quadristriatus (Schrank, 1781). The year to year changes of the specimens of dominant species was high.

Posters
Biology and Conservation

Seasonal activity, and population size of Carabus hungaricus in a pannonic sand steppe habitat in Hungary
Sándor Bérces(1), Zoltán Soltész(2), Gyõzõ Szél(3) & László Peregovits(3)
(1) Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate, Hûvösvölgyi út 52., Budapest, 1021 Hungary
(2) Department of Zoosystematics and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Pázmány P. sétány 1/c, 1117 Hungary
(3) Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13, Budapest, 1088 Hungary

An extensive mark-recapture study of C. hungaricus was performed on a pannonic sand steppe 30 kilometres north of Budapest. Beetles were collected using 270 baited pitfall traps placed in a 4x4 m grid network. The field work was carried out during the autumn of 2005 from August to November (26 trapping occasion) and from May to December 2006 (48 trapping occasion). In total, 2578 adults were trapped and individually marked (1595 in 2005, 983 in 2006); 160 larvae were detected in 2006. Recapture rate amounted to about 30% in both years. The average estimated population size was calculated for the period from mid August to the end of October in both years using the Jolly-Seber formula (466,81 (SE=46,04) in 2005 and 573,90 (SE=62,21) in 2006). Surface activity of Carabus hungaricus is presented.

ODOUR AND COLOUR SIMILARITY IN TWO SPECIES OF GREGARIOUS CARABID BEETLES: ONE CASE OF MUELLERIAN MIMICRY?
T. Zetto Brandmayr(1), T. Bonacci(1), R. Dalpozzo(2), A. De Nino(2), A. Massolo(3), A. Tagarelli(2), G. Sindona(2) & P. Brandmayr1
(1) Dipartimento di Ecologia, Università della Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, (CS), Italy. Tel.: 0960984392977, e-mail: [email blocked].
(2) Dipartimento di Chimica, Università della Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, (CS), Italy
(3) Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e Genetica, Università di Firenze, via Romana 17, I-50125, Firenze, Italy

Many aposematic insects evolved an aggregated life style, since the main advantage of grouping in warningly coloured prey is that it makes the aposematic signal moreeffective in generating aversion in predators. Carabid beetles of the genus Brachinus are disagreeable prey because they discharge an irritating \”cloud\” of quinones. They live in aggregations and display warning colours, as well as Anchomenus dorsalis, that produce methylsalycilate, presents a similar colour pattern, and is usually found mixed within Brachinus aggregations.
Our aim was to investigate the similarity of cuticular chemical profiles of these species, to support the hypothesis of a possible chemical mimicry. Using The GC/MS analyses performed with the SPME (solid phase-microextraction) technique, we analysed the cuticular profiles of 5 A. dorsalis, 4 B. sclopeta and of 5 Poecilus cupreus, a not aposematic carabid beetle used as control. Our analysis showed that the 3 species cuticular profile possesses a very large amount of hydrocarbons with their molecular skeletons containing from 11 to 29 carbons. The 3 species of carabid beetles were chemically different, but individuals of Brachinus were chemically more similar to those of Anchomenus than to those of Poecilus, being the latter more similar to Anchomenus than to Brachinus. The hydrocarbons with more than 20 atoms of A. dorsalis were all found on B. sclopeta cuticle. We then suggest that A. dorsalis is possibly acting a mimicry of the cuticular profile of B. sclopeta, strengthening an effective antipredator strategy: B. sclopeta may benefit from a dilution effect, while A. dorsalis may increase the benefit both from the dilution effect, and from the greater chemical defence exerted by B. sclopeta. This strategy of inter-specific aggregations may clearly exert an advantage for both species, possibly through a sort of Müllerian mimetism.

EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY AND GENETICS IN TWO CLOSELY RELATED SALT MARSH BEETLES
H. Dhuyvetter(1), J-P Maelfait(2) & K Desender(1)
(1) Entomology department, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstreet 29, Belgium, [email blocked]
(2) INBO, Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussels, Belgium

Pogonus littoralis and Pogonus chalceus are closely related ground beetle species with different ecological preferences within salt marshes. We study the evolutionary processes in and between these presumably young species. Therefore, variation in ecologically relevant characters and genetic variation are compared within and between species. Data are also compared at small geographical scale. Body and relative wing size and IDH1 allozyme data show a high intraspecific variation in P. chalceus in the same range as the interspecific variation (P. chalceus versus P. littoralis). Based on neutral markers, on the other hand, the intraspecific variation in P. chalceus is much lower in comparison with the interspecific variation. The different ecotypes of the highly polytypic P. chalceus are as much differentiated in ecological characters as true species, but are not recognised as such by screening neutral markers. This can be interpreted as a case of ongoing speciation driven by natural selection adapting each ecotype to its respective ecological niche. The same ecological processes can be recognised in the differentiation between the two sister species, where also complete reproductive isolation between the two gene pools seems to have taken place, allowing independent drift and mutation accumulation in neutral genetic characters.

THE COMPARISON OF AGE STRUCTURES AND REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO CARABUS (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) SPECIES
R. Andorkó(1,2), Z. Elek(3) & F. Kádár(2)
(1) Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences, Budapest, H-1117 Pázmány P. sétány 1/C.
(2) Plant Protection Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 102, Budapest, H-1525
(3) Szent István University, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Zoological Institute, Department of Ecology, H-1077 Budapest, Rottenbiller str. 50., Hungary, e-mail: [email blocked]

Seasonal rhythms in activity, reproduction and development were compared of two Carabus species living in Hungary. Carabus scheidleri was collected by pitfall trapping during three years in an abandoned uncultivated land in the northwest vicinity of Budapest. Carabus ullrichi was collected also by the same method in one year in the Pilis Forest Reserve. In order to compare the two different age-estimations (based on the mandible wear and the development stages of the ovaries), Spearman rank correlation was used in both cases. Our results suggest that Carabus scheidleri has two reproductive periods during one season, and overwinters, both as larvae and as adult. This species develops during one year and the different generations overlap. Carabus ullrichi has one reproductive period in the season exclusively. It is a “spring breeder” species with summer larvae, and hibernates as adult. Based on our results we suggest that the correlation of the mandible wear and developmental stages of the ovaries, is a good estimator of the annual rhythm of carabid species.

LIFE CYCLES OF CARABID BEETLES AT THE NORTH OF EUROPEAN RUSSIA
Boris Filippov
Pomor State University, Lomonosova, 4, Arkhangelsk, Russia, [email blocked]

From 216 species of carabid beetles collected at the north of European Russia, for 60 species (28%), population age structure has been studied and life cycle has been determined. Investigated species of carabid beetles - from middle taiga to the southtundra - have shown 6 variants of life cycle: 1. annual-”spring”; 2. bivoltine; 3. annual “autumn”; 4. annual/biennial “summer”; 5. biennial “spring”; 6. biennial “autumn”. “Spring” species breed in the beginning of the season (June-early July); “autumn” species breed at the latter half of the season (July-August); “summer” species breed during all calendar summer. From north to south the diversity of type development of carabid beetles decreases. In the south tundra 4 types of life cycle have been discovered for carabid beetles, in the middle taiga - 6 variants. In the middle taiga, carabid beetle species with spring annual life cycle prevail. Further to the north, the number and the part of annual “spring” and “autumn” species of carabid beetles decrease while the number of species with the biennial “spring” life cycle increases. In the tundra, the group of species with the biennial life is heterogeneous inherently. On the one hand, it consists of the arctic species with constant life cycle whose biennial life cycle is strengthened evolutionary. On the other hand, many polyzonal species with prevalence in the central part of natural habitat annual “autumn” life cycle, at the north become biennial. This life cycle is an ecologic modification of development at the north. These species belong to the group with variable biennial life cycle. Polyzonal and arctic species of carabid beetles in the Arctic have only two variants of development: annual “spring” and biennial “spring”. This suggests that two general adaptive trends of development in the season are typical for carabid beetles in the north.

ANTENNAL MORPHOMETRY AND SENSILLA DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF THREE SPECIES OF SIAGONINAE (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE)
A. Giglio, P. Brandmayr, E. Perrotta, M. Romeo, T. Zetto Brandmayr & F.F. Talarico
Department of Ecology, University of Calabria I-87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS), tel. +390984492977

In both sexes of three carabid beetle species, Siagona jenissoni Dejean 1826, Siagona dejeani Rambur 1837 and Siagona europaea Dejean 1826, the filiform antennae were measured by Sigma Scan Pro 5 Software (SPSS® Inc.). Antennal sensilla typology and distribution pattern were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The antennae of male and female beetles are similar in their general structure for each of the three species and vary only in size. The density of sensilla per antennomere increases distally. Differences do not occur between the sexes in typology and number of sensilla while there is a consistent difference in their topography both between the sexes and among the three species. Ten different sensillar types were distinguished: four types of sensilla chaetica, three types of sensilla basiconica, one type of sensillum campaniform, one type of sensillum styloconicum and one type of sensillum “sicula-sickle”-shaped. The possible function of the sensilla was discuss! ed and four types of sensilla (sensilla chaetica types 2, 3, 4 and sensilla basiconica type 3) were considered as mechanoreceptors; sensilla chaetica types 1, sensilla basiconica types 1 and 2, sensilla styloconica and sensilla sicula-sickle-shaped as chemoreceptors; sensilla campaniformia as thermoreceptors. No differences occur about sensillar typologies while their distribution is susceptible of increasing or diminution in number in all three species. The high variety of sensillar typologies in these Siagona species has adaptative values and may be connected to the peculiarities of the beetles’ behaviour as ant hunter.

LIFE CYCLES OF GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) IN SOUTHERN SIBERIA
Larisa Khobrakova
Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sakhjanovoj street 6, Ulan-Ude 670047, Russia, [email blocked]

In the highland zones with a short vegetation period ground beetles have two types of development. The first one is a one-year spring cycle with an accelerated synchronic ontogenesis (Pterostichus montanus). The second one a two-year life cycle (Carabus odoratus) with a two-year ontogenesis with two winterings - at larva stage and at the stage of immature imago. With that, two parts of the population taking turns and multiplying in a year. This provides annual multiplication of the species. In highland tundra, life cycles of ground beetles extend up to several years because many species do not have enough time for one-season development. Such a type of ground beetle life cycles is traced in the Subarctic zonal tundra (Korobeynikov, 1991).
In the mountain taiga, both (one-year and two-year) types of life cycles preserve. One-year spring development is found at Pt. subaeneus, Pt. turanensis ground beetles. These species demonstrate a spring peak of imago activity and a spring maximum of egg-production and wintering of imago. Two-year spring development has been demonstrated by Pt. dilutipes. Two-year multi-seasonal multiplication is characteristic for Carabus ground beetles (i.e. C. odoratus, C. loschnikovi, C. henningi, C. canaliculatus).
In the mountain forest steppe zone, vegetation terms extend, as does the specter of ground beetle development: one-year spring life cycle (Poecilus fortipes) and one-year spring life cycle autumn (Harpalus erosus, Cymindis binotata, Cicindela nitida, Curtonotus fodinae, H. amariformis, H. pusillus, H. tichonis, H. torridoides, H. brevicornis, Amara depressangula), multiplication of the latter takes place in the second half of summer. In autumn, different age larva and post-generative imago have their wintering. The two-year life cycle preserves (Carabus spasskianus, Curtonotus tumidus). Apart from enlisted life cycles, we see emerging one-two year life cycles with a midsummer peak of activity (Harpalus aequicollis), with diverse variants: it takes a year for a part of the population to develop from an egg to imago multiplication, it takes two years for another half (Matalin, 1998).
Thus, we trace a regularity of increasing number of development types, beginning with alpine zone (1-2 variants) to forest steppe (4 variants) (Khobrakova, Sharova, 2005).

LIFE CYCLES OF GROUND BEETLES OF TRIBE POGONINI (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE) IN ENVIRONS OF ELTON LAKE
Andrey V. Matalin & Kirill V. Makarov
Department of Zoology, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str., 6 build. 5, Moscow 129164, Russia, [email blocked]

From 10 May till 31 October 2006, the Carabid beetle communities of the banks of Elton lake were studied. In three model habitats seven species of the tribe Pogonini: Cardiaderus chloroticus, Pogonus transfuga, P. meridianalis, P. cumanus, Pogonistes rufoaeneus, P. angustus and P. convexicollis were numerous. Most of them are “spring” breeders. The maximum abundance of its mature specimens is observed in the middle or late May, but for P. meridianalis in the late May - early June. Only P. cumanus has an autumn propagation from early August till late September. This is a surprise because to present all Pogonini were related to “spring” breeders (Larsson, 1939; Lindroth, 1945; Turin, 2000). Among “spring” breeders, semelparous species predominate. Only P. transfuga and P. rufoaeneus are iteroparous ones. However, the proportion of specimens of ancestral generation in these species is not more than 3,5%. In the contrary, for the autumn breeding P. cumanus the proportion of such specimens is more than 6,5%. In habitats with relatively stable environments (reeds and saline land on the floodplain along Khara river) the pattern of soil dynamics activity is more smoothing. In unstable environments, especially under periodical flood (on salt-marsh of the Elton lakeside), such pattern is characterized by rapid changes of specimens numbers. In the last case for C. chloroticus two periods of propagation were recorded. Maybe it is the sequent of habitats unstability when specimens of the same generation are breeding during a long time. On the other hand, in this species a bivoltine life cycle may realize. This conclusion is well supported by two clear waves of immature, mature and spent specimens as well as larvae. Among Pogonini two generations were recorded for Pogonus chalceus in Northern Africa only (Paarmann, 1975, 1976).

RED LIGHT ENABLES DIRECT OBSERVATION OF NOCTURNAL CARABID BEETLES IN THEIR HABITAT: A CASE STUDY OF THE ENDANGERED SEMI-AQUATIC CARABUS VARIOLOSUS
A. Matern, C. Drees, K. Schlumbohm & T. Assmann
Institute of Ecology and Ecological Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, D-21314 Lüneburg, Germany, [email blocked]

Information on the locomotory activity of carabid beetles in their habitats was mostly obtained by pitfall trapping or by telemetric methods (e.g. harmonic radar) so far. However, both methods have certain shortcomings such as a dependence on running activity in case of pitfall traps or a restricted applicability for smaller species because of the weight of transponders (telemetric methods). Pitfall trapping and telemetric methods with only several observations per hour or day only allow an estimation of the minimum distance covered. A continuous observation of a beetle in the field, however, can reveal important behavioural traits, such as feeding or mating and their dependence on habitat characteristics. A direct observation can also give information about the behaviour of a beetle in different habitats. Therefore we propose a method of direct observation under red light conditions which apparently does not have any effect on the beetles in order to gain insight into the biology of ground beetle species.
With the proposed method we investigated parameters of habitat choice, hunting behaviour and feeding of the endangered semi-aquatic Carabus variolosus. The beetles were marked with a white spot on their elytra and observed directly during their main activity period in the first half of the night. In total, 33 individuals were observed, 19 adults during reproductive season and 14 tenerals in late summer. We observed running behaviour in favourite and non-favourite habitats, hunting in the water and feeding. The movements of the beetles confirmed their preferred proximity to running water.

FOOD-INDUCED VARIATION IN FECUNDITY OF AMARA (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
P. Saska
Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507, Praha 6 – Ruzyne 161 06 Czech Republic, [email blocked]

Fecundity is the principal fitness component. The importance of seed for reproduction in granivorous species of carabids is poorly understood. In this study the dietary effects on reproduction are compared for three species of the carabid genus Amara (Coleoptera: Carabidae).
The effects of diet of insects, two types of single-seed diets (Capsella bursa-pastoris, Stellaria media) and a mixed diet was established for two aspects of fecundity: proportion of reproductive females and egg production. It was hypothesized that species have different requirements for food essential for reproduction, suggesting different degree of granivory.
The type of diet significantly affected fecundity in all studied species. A mixed diet and both single-seed diets were suitable for reproduction in A. aenea, as higher proportion of females reproduced and they laid significantly more eggs than on pure insect diet. Females of A. familiaris could not reproduce unless provided with seed of S. media. C. bursa-pastoris and a mixed diet were equally suitable diets for reproduction of A. similata, insect and seed of S. media were unsuitable. The fecundity was thus affected in the same way as previously found for larval development.
The results support hypothesis that studied species have specific requirements for essential food, and that granivory evolved to different degree in particular species:A. aenea is omnivorous, while A. familiaris and A. similata are specialised to a seed of particular plant species or family. Adaptive significance of this resource partitioning can be found in niche segregation in co-occurring carabid species.
The work was supported by the project No. 0002700603 of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.

THE FIRST EVER FINDINGS OF CARABUS HUNGARICUS FABRICIUS, 1792, A CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES OF THE PANNON REGION
Gyõzõ Szél(1), Sándor Bérces(2) & Imre Retezár(3)
(1) Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13, Budapest, 1088 Hungary, [email blocked]
(2) Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate, Hûvösvölgyi út 52., Budapest, 1021 Hungary
(3) Bartok Bela ut. 86 III. 4., Budapest XI, H-1113 Hungary

Carabus hungaricus Fabricius, 1792 usually inhabits sandy grasslands and dolomite grasslands in Hungary. Other known localities of this species are in Austria, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Romania and Bulgaria. The type locality “Hungaria” in the description of FABRICIUS in 1792 most likely refers to Buda Mts., which was without doubt a frequently visited place by the collectors and naturalists of the time. The first exact locality mention of this species can be attributed to T. Koy, who in 1800 published a specimen trading list, which stands out as the first Hungarian faunistic list (of Buda Mts.). In spite of this being the first records, today Carabus hungaricus seems to be more frequent in the sandy grasslands of plains than in the dolomite regions of Buda Mts.