DIVERSITY OF GROUND BEETLES (Coleoptera, Carabidae) IN PRESPA NATIONAL PARK (ALBANIA) Slavcho Hristovski Macedonian Ecological Society, Skopje, Macedonia
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[email protected] tel. +38978450049 1. Introduction Ground beetles of Prespa National Park in Albania have not been surveyed so far. The research conducted in the Macedonian and Greek parts of Prespa watershed indicate presence of a rich fauna, number of endemic species as well as species of conservation importance ((Drovenik and Peks 1994) (Arndt et al. 2011). The main goal of the present survey is to establish: • A comprehensive list of the ground beetles in Prespa National Park • Evaluate the fauna of ground beetles on the basis of presence of endemic and rare species, as well as species of conservation importance (national and international) • Indicate the most important habitats and localities for ground beetles • Recommend conservation measures and management practices within Prespa National Park • Propose indicator species and monitoring scheme 1.1 Literature review (present knowledge) The fauna of ground beetles (Carabidae) of Albania counts up to 550 species (Guéorguiev 2007). However, there are no data for the Albanian part of Prespa. The Macedonian and Greek parts of Prespa have been surveyed to a certain (low) extent ((Drovenik and Peks 1994) (Guéorguiev and Hristovski 2010) (Arndt et al. 2011). The presence of several local endemic species on Galchica Mt. has been proved: Duvalius vignai, Trechus galicicaensis, Nebria macedonica galicica, as well as other subendemic species (Molops rufipes, Zabrus albanicus, Myas chalybaeus, Carabus neumeyeri, etc.). Pelister Mt. (part of the Prespa watershed) shelters many other endemic species, most of them unlikely to be recorded in Prespa National Park in Albania.