Ground Beetles of the Tribe Sphodrini (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of East Europe

Abstract

The tribe Sphodrini Laporte, 1834 is represented in the fauna of East Europe by 24 species from 8 genera: Calathus (10 species), Laemostenus (6), Pseudotaphoxenus (3), Dolichus, Sphodrus, Platyderus, Synuchus, and Taphoxenus (1 species each). Five species occurring in Ukraine (Calathus cinctus, Laemostenus cimmerius, L. terricola, L. venustus, and Pseudotaphoxenusrufitarsis) and 2 species present in Belarus (Laemostenus terricola and Sphodrus leucophthalmus) were not previously recorded for these countries in the Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera (2017). Six species of the tribe are distributed almost over the entire East Europe, while some species occur only in individual regions. Laemostenus cimmerius, L. venustus, and L. jailensis are known only in the Crimean Mountains; Calathus metallicus occurs only in the Carpathians; Laemostenus tichyi, endemic to Western Ukraine, is known only from the deciduous forest subzone. All species of the genus Pseudotaphoxenus, and also Calathus fuscipes punctipennis and C. terricola punctatus are found only in the steppe zone. Calathus distinguendus, C. mollis, C. syriacus, and Laemostenus sericeus occur in the extreme south of East Europe and in Crimea. Taphoxenus gigas is mainly distributed in the steppe zone, and Calathus cinctus occurs only in the western part of the forest zone and in the Carpathians. Most species of the genera Calathus, Dolichus, and Synuchus are common inhabitants of open mesophytic biotopes. Species of other genera are recorded sporadically and infrequently in the woods, shrubs (Laemostenus cimmerius, L. terricola, L. venustus, and Platyderus rufus), and steppe biotopes (Laemostenus sericeus and Taphoxenus gigas). The species that are very rare in East Europe include Laemostenus jailensis (Crimean Mountains), Pseudotaphoxenus rufitarsis (the southern steppe), L. tichyi, Sphodrus leucophthalmus (found in basements), and Calathus cinctus (the west of the forest zone). The species essays and keys to 24 species (27 species-group taxa including subspecies) of 8 genera are given.