The impact of reduced tillage and distance to field margin on predator functional diversity

Introduction Agricultural intensification results in biodiversity loss through land conversion and management practices which negatively impact arthropods. The abundance and diversity of ground-dwelling predators, e.g. ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae), are negatively affected by soil disturbances such as tillage. Reducing soil disturbances can potentially conserve arthropod populations in the field and reduce the use of chemical pest controls. The present study investigated the ground-dwelling predatory community using pitfall traps in cereal fields with three different levels of soil disturbance: conventional tillage, reduced tillage and no tillage under Conservation Agriculture management, in 2018 and 2019. Pitfall traps were placed in transects from the field margins. Overall, the activity-density of ground-dwelling predators was higher in fields with minimum soil disturbance and generally declined with increased distance to semi-natural habitats. Functional diversity, expressed by the body size of ground beetles, was also affected by soil disturbances; large ground beetles more consistently occurred in CA, while few or none of the largest ground beetles were found in RT and CT. A higher sample-heterogeneity in less disturbed fields was indicated by a more variable median and higher skewness in the number of predators in those fields. In 2019 only, species diversity was higher along field edges bordering semi-natural habitats when compared to the cropped area. Our results show that reduced tillage supports predator arthropod communities at a local scale: It also bolsters agro-ecosystem resilience by promoting a higher activity-density and by increasing the heterogeneity and functional diversity of ground-dwelling predators. Implications for insect conservation The results obtained in the present study show that soil disturbances significantly influence arthropod abundance and diversity. Conservation of epigeic natural enemies in the agricultural landscape is improved by reducing soil-disturbing events such as tillage.

New data about Bulgarian ground beetles from subfamilies Nebriinae, Carabinae and Cicindelinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Bulgarian ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) fauna is relatively well studied but there are still many species and regions in the country which are not well researched. The present study aims at complementing the data about the distribution of the carabids from the subfamilies Nebriinae, Carabinae and Cicindelinae, which contain some of the most attractive Palaearctic carabids. Currently, 13 species of Nebriini, ten species of Notiophilini, one species of Cychrini, 28 species of Carabini and 15 species of Cicindelini are known to occur in Bulgaria. The paper gives new information and new records on 37 carabid species and 25 zoogeographical regions in Bulgaria. Beetles are collected in the period from 1976 to 2021 by different collectors and sampling methods. Six species are recorded for the first time in different regions. Four species are reported for the second time in the regions where they have currently been collected. Fourteen species haven’t been reported for more than 20 years from the Middle and Western Stara Planina Mts, Western Bulgaria Region, Kraishte Region, Boboshevo-Simitli Valley, Vitosha Mts, Plana Mt, Lyulin Mts, Rila Mts and Pirin Mts.

A contribution to the knowledge of cave-adapted ground beetles from Guiyang, central Guizhou Province, southwestern China (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini)

A new genus and two new species of cavernicolous trechines are reported from central Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Haixiaphaenopsgen. nov. is established to place a new species discovered in two limestone caves in northern Qingzhen Shi: H. jinxiaohongaesp. nov. (Dawan Dong cave and Changtu Dong and Dawan Dong caves). This new genus is allied to Zhijinaphaenops Uéno & Ran, 2002. Zhijinaphaenops zhaofeiisp. nov. is described from Zhangkou Dong cave in northern Jiuzhuang Zhen of Xifeng County. In addition, two new localities of the species Zhijinaphaenops jingliae Deuve & Tian, 2015, and two new localities of Sinaphaenops chengguangyuaniMa et al. 2020 are provided. A distribution map for all cavernicolous trechine beetles known in Guiyang is provided.

Rare and protected species of Caraboidea (Coleoptera) of the Steppe zone of Ukraine

New data on the distribution, occurrence and ecology of 19 rare and little-known species of Caraboidea from 14 genera were obtained in the result of research at Steppe zone of Ukraine. Herein, Parophonus hirsutulus is given for the fauna of Ukraine for the first time, while Cicindela sylvatica and Carabus coriaceus are recorded for the first time in the Steppe zone. The species Poecilus nitens, Carterus angustipennis lutschniki and Eucarterus sparsutus are registered for the first time in mainland Ukraine, and Acinopus ammophilus is newly found at the steppe of Left-bank Ukraine. The distribution of six rare species in the Steppe zone of Ukraine is specified, namely Calathus mollis, Ophonus minimus, Parophonus planicollis, Ditomus calidonius oriens, Masoreus wetterhallii, and Mastax thermarum. The seasonal occurrence of subspecies Cephalota deserticola sivashensis and Carabus sibiricus errans in biotopes is analyzed. New data on four species of ground beetles protected by the Red Data Book of Ukraine (Cephalota besseri, Carabus hungaricus, Parazuphium chevrolatii, Carterus dama) is provided.

Firefly bioluminescence outshines aerial predators

Bioluminescence is found across life and has many functions. Yet we understand very little about its timing and origins, particularly as a predator avoidance strategy. Understanding the timing between bioluminescence and predator origins has yet to be examined and can help elucidate the evolution of the ecologically important signal aposematism. Using the most prevalent bioluminescent group, fireflies, where bioluminescence primarily functions as aposematic and sexual signals, the timing for the origins of both potential predators of fireflies and bioluminescence is explored. Divergence time estimations were performed using a genomic-scale phylogenetic reconstruction Lampyridae, and multiple fossil calibration points, allowing for a robust estimate for the origin of beetle bioluminescence as both a terrestrial and aerial signal. Our results recover the origins of terrestrial beetle bioluminescence at 141 mya and aerial bioluminescence at 133 mya. These ages predate the origins of all known extant aerial predators (i.e., bats and birds) and support the much older terrestrial predators (frogs, ground beetles, lizards, snakes, and hunting spiders) as the most likely drivers of bioluminescence in beetles.

The ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of southern Kuril Islands, Russia

We compiled a list of the ground beetles that have been confirmed to occur to date in the southern Kuril Islands, Russian Far East. The list includes 168 species, all of which are known from Kunashir Island and the species richness on the remaining islands ranges from 68 (Shikotan Island) to 21 species (Tanfil'eva Island). The species richness is shown to depend sublinearly on island area, this being unusual for island faunas (Triantis et al. 2011). A large part of data is published here for the first time on the records of ground beetles in the southern Kuril Islands with precise localities. This allows not only the taxonomic composition of the faunas, but also the composition of local faunas to be discussed.

The ground beetles (Caraboidea) of the southern Sikhote-Alin Mountains

This paper presents the results of 30 years of field studies on the Caraboidea fauna of the southern Sikhote-Alin Mountain, Russian Far East. Material was collected at 300+ geographical localities within 18 administrative and seven urban districts of the Primorsky Krai, Russia. A total of 55,953 adult ground beetles belonging to 426 subspecies, 411 species, 86 genera and three families were studied. The families Rhysodidae and Trachypachidae are represented by one species each, while the family Carabidae the remaining 409 species. The resulting sampling-event dataset includes 12,852 occurrences. This is the first dataset underlying an accurate and referenced taxonomic composition, as well as the geographic distribution of the Caraboidea in the southern Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Primorsky Krai, Russian Far East.