Ground beetles (coleoptera: Carabidae) in different agricultural fields nearby Deir Ezzor, Syrian Arab republic

Abstract

Ground beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae), besides spiders (Arachnida; Araneae) and rove beetles (Coleoptera; Staphylinidae), play an important role in terrestric ecosystems and in agroecosystems as well. In the years 1989 and 1990 investigations on ground beetles on different fields (cotton, sorghum and wheat) about 35 km western of the city Deir Ezzor (near the river Euphrat) were carried out by pitfall traps. As a whole only 18 species of ground beetles could be proved. In cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in two periods 11 species were found. The most frequent species were Pseudoophonus rufipes, Pseudoophonus griseus, Harpalus distinguendus and Poecilus dissors. On the sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in two periods also 10 species were found. In this fields Pseudoophomis rufipes, Tachyemphanes lucasi and Microlestes viltipennis were dominant. The wheat (Triticum aestivum) was inhabited by 12 species. The dominant species were Tachyemphanes lucasi, Microlestes vittipennis and Pseudoophomis rufipes. Altogether the ground beetle communities of the selected fields proved to be poor in species and individuals. In the future investigations should be lead through over the period of whole year, the irrigation channels should be included.