Ground beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of protected areas in the Łódź Province. Pt. 1, Nature reserves

Abstract

Ground beetle fauna of 35 nature reserves in the Łodź Province is summarized based on the literature data and unpublished records. For all studied reserves new faunistic data are presented, including first records of Carabidae for eight of them. In total, 140 ground beetle species (27.22% of Polish fauna and 54% of species recorded in the area of the Łodź Province) are noted from 35 (39%) nature reserves located in the Łodź Province. Moreover, it has been found, that the reserves “Rawka” and “Spala” encompass some of the highest Carabidae species richness noted among the all Polish nature reserves. Among the beetles recorded in the studied nature reserves, there are 16 species protected by Polish law, including 13 species of Carabus L. and 3 of Calosoma Web., what means 50% of Polish fauna and76.19% of protected carabid species occurring in the Łodź Province. Twelve species are included in the Polish RedData List: three species as critically endangered (CR) (Badister dorsiges, Patrobus australis, Trechus austriacus), one as endangered (EN) (Carabus clatratus), two as vulnerable (VU) (Odacantha melanura and Oodes helopioides), four as near threatened (NT) (Calosoma sycophanta, Carabus convexus, Diachromus germanus, and Omophron limbatum), one as least concern (LC) (Carabus intricatus), and one in “data deficient” category (DD) (Broscus cephalotes). High number of Carabidae species recorded on a relatively very small area of investigated nature reserves (in total only 0.29% of the Łodź Province) proves their importance in the conservation of species diversity of Carabidae in Poland.