A Taxonomic Review of the Species of Four Genera of Pterostichinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from South-Central Turkey

Abstract

Fourteen species and subspecies belonging to the genera Poecilus Bonelli, Pterostichus Bonelli, Tapinopterus Schaum, and Zabrus Clairville (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichinae) were taxonomically reviewed in this study. The specimens studied were collected during 2004 and 2005 from localities between 550 and 1810 m in elevation above sea level from different habitats (steppe, macchie, and forest biomes), primarily in the province of Kahramanmaraş but also in the neighboring provinces of Adana, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Malatya, and Sivas, situated in south-central Turkey, in the Taurus Mountains, and mostly within the Taurus refugium. Each taxon was characterized with descriptive keys, descriptions of structural features, and photographs of habitus (male and female) and male genitalia. Species collected and examined represent 23% (3 species) of the Poecilus species, 6% (4 species) of the Pterostichus species, 4% (1 species) of the Tapinopterus species, and 13% (6 species) of the Zabrus species reportedly occurring in Turkey. Collection localities, coordinates, and elevations, as well as the known distribution in Turkey and their chorotypes are reported. The preponderance of endemic species (8 of 14) in the study are expected to part of one of the Anatolian refugia.