Click beetles (Coleoptera, Elateridae) of the upper boundary of the forest of the Polonynskyi Ridge of the Ukrainian Carpathians (within the Uzhanskyi national nature park)

Abstract

The results of researches of species composition and structure of click beetles communities (Coleoptera, Elateridae) on the upper boundary of the forest of Yavirnyk and Stinka massifs (Polonynskyi ridge of the Ukrainian Carpathians) are presented. The upper boundary of the forest here is represented by beech - sycamore stands over 150 years old and areas of beech crooked forest with an admixture of rowan. On the tops of these ridges - woodless areas, meadows, which are represented by shrub vegetation (blueberries and lingonberries), which alternates with rich in floral composition of mountain meadows.
To study Elateridae on both ridges was laid one stationary research site. There are 25 species of elaterides, which belong to 3 subfamilies and 17 genuses. The most numerous in terms of the number of species is genus Athous (5 species). Other genuses are represented by one or two species.
In general, the composition and structure of the communities in the studied research areas are different, due to natural conditions and the mode of nature management.
On the Yavirnyk ridge, 490 specimens of click beetles belonging to 21 species and 15 genuses were collected and identified. The dominant component includes such species as Dalopius marginatus (30.82%), Athous subfuscus (27, 76%), Agrypnus murinus (8, 78%), Ctenicera pectinicornis (7.96%), Athous mollis (7.55 %).
On the Stinka ridge, 195 specimens of click beetles belonging to 16 species and 14 genuses were collected and identified. The dominant component also includes 5 species: Athous mollis (27.69%), Athous subfuscus (22.56%), Dalopius marginatus (17.95%), Ctenicera pectinicornis (10.77%), Denticollis linearis (6.67%). The beetles community of Yavirnyk is characterized by higher indicators of both species richness and relative density of elaterides.
For the first time, 21 species of click beetles are listed for the territory of Uzhanskyi National Nature Park. It was found that the upper boundary of the forest of the Polonynskyi ridge is inhabited mainly by representatives of the European - Siberian and European - Asian complexes, and by ecology - forest and mountain species.