DIVERSITY of GROUND BEETLES (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in PRESPA NATIONAL PARK (ALBANIA) 1. Introduction

Home , Agonum viridicupreum, Carabus gigas, Chlaenius festivus, Ground beetle, Harpalus saxicola, Harpalus serripes

DIVERSITY OF GROUND BEETLES (Coleoptera, Carabidae) IN PRESPA NATIONAL PARK (ALBANIA)

Slavcho Hristovski

Macedonian Ecological Society, Skopje, Macedonia [email protected] ; [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.

1.2 Conservation importance of the investigated group

Carabid beetles are well known both taxonomically and ecologically ((Lovei and Sunderland 1996); (Niemelä 1996)). This, however, mainly concerns the temperate region of Palearctic. Ground beetles are distributed over broad geographic ranges and inhabit all major habitats, except the driest parts of deserts (Lovei and Sunderland 1996). The importance of ground beetles in nature conservation and management has just recently been acknowledged. Different aspects of ground beetles' importance in conservation have been elaborated by (Rainio and Niemelä 2003). Ground beetles have been widely and successfully used for different kinds of indicator studies. Most of the surveys focus on the response of the species to changing environmental conditions, e.g. forest fragmentation or management practices (e.g. (Niemelä et al. 1988). In addition to these studies, ground beetles have been used in studies on urban ecology (Venn et al. 2003), insecticides (Basedow and Stork 1990), effects of military tanks (Mossakowski et al. 1990), classification of habitat type (Eyre and Luff 1990) etc. Ground beetles can be divided into geographically wide-ranging generalist (ubiquitous) species, species occupying a wide range of habitats (eurytopic), and specialists occurring in one or a few habitats (stenotopic) (Eversham et al. 1996). Each habitat type has certain species assemblage with generalist and specialist species. Thus, individual carabid species or species assemblages can be used as bioindicators (Rainio and Niemelä 2003). However, because of the high number of generalist species ground beetles have been criticized as bioindicators (Rykken et al. 1997). Ground beetles depend on several abiotic and biotic factors. These include (1) temperature or humidity, (2) food conditions, (3) presence and distribution of competitors, and (4) life history and season, including migration between hibernation and reproduction habitat (Lovei and Sunderland 1996). Most vulnerable are the egg, larval, and pupal stages (Lovei and Sunderland 1996). As these requirements are well known for many parts of the world, Ground beetles appear reliable bioindicators. Management practices in grasslands and forests have shown that ground beetles respond quickly to habitat fragmentation, grazing, fertilisation, and forest cutting. This is because they are sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, vegetation, and size of the forest patch ((Eyre and Luff 1990); (Halme and Niemelä 1993); (Butterfield 1996); (Niemelä 2001). However, the ecological requirements of species vary, and consequently, some species are more sensitive to environmental changes than others ((Niemelä et al. 1993). Collection of ground beetles is simple and can be easily standardized. There are several collecting methods for surveying carabid assemblages. These include pitfall traps, sticky traps, sweep netting, Malaise traps, window traps, hand collection, litter washing, and beating (Spence and Niemelä 1994)). Pitfall trapping is the most commonly used field method because Ground beetles can be easily and cost-effectively collected by these traps(Spence and Niemelä 1994). Ground beetle surveys are not independent of sample

size, because of the patchy distribution of the species. Therefore, survey results might depend on the number of sites studied (Atlegrim et al. 1997) and replication (several study sites) are recommended. There are seasonal (Maelfait and Desender 1990); (Niemelä et al. 1992) and year-to-year variations in carabid population sizes ((Niemelä et al. 1993); (Abildsnes and Tommeras 2000)). Because of this, surveys covering the whole activity season are recommended (Niemelä 2000).

2. Methodology

2.1 Sampling methods

Ground beetles were collected during the field research by means of hand collection as well as pit-fall traps. Beetles were collected by hand mainly under stones or rotten vegetation (on the lake shore and other wetlands or in the forest floor). Only few individuals (mainly Cicindela) were caught by entomological net. Pit-fall traps were set in 10 localities. Each locality had 5-10 pit-fall traps filled with vinegar and 4% of formalin. The material from the pit-fall traps was cleaned and selected.

2.2 Determination of species and their distribution areals

All of the specimens (hand collection and pit-fall traps) were analyzed by stereomicroscope. The determination of species was performed with various determination keys (Trautner and Geigenmüller 1987); (Ledoux and Roux 2005); (Freude et al. 2004); (Arndt et al. 2011) The information on the distribution of species was taken from the Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera (Loebl and Smetana 2003) as well as the monographs on Balkan fauna (Apfelbeck 1904); (Georgiev and Guéorguiev 1995); (Arndt et al. 2011); (Ćurčić et al. 2007) and especially the Albanian checklist of ground beetles (Guéorguiev 2007).

3. Investigated area

During the field research in 2013 a number of localities within Prespa National Park were visited. However, some parts of Prespa National Park were less studies due to the lack of access roads and their remoteness. The investigated area is presented in Fig. 1.

Figure 1. Map of the investigated area for ground-beetles in Prespa National Park, Albania

The list of localities and surveyed habitats is presented in the following list:

Great Prespa Lake GPL1: 0,5 km south of village Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), 854m, Meadow, 24.05.- 23.06.2013 GPL2: 0,5 km south of village Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), 854m, Meadow, 23.06- 23.07.2013 GPL20: Liqenas (Pustec), 860m, Hill pasture, 27.05.2013 GPL21: Mali Grad, 860m, Hill pasture, 25.09.2013 GPL3: 0,5 km south of village Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), 854m, Wet meadow, 24.05.- 23.06.2013 GPL4: 0,5 km south of village Kallamas (Tuminec), 895m, Pruno webbii-Juniperetum excelsae, 24.05.-23.06.2013 GPL5: 0,5 km west of village Kallamas (Tuminec), 860m, Agricultural land, 24.05.-23.06.2013 GPL6: 1 km east of village Zaroshka (Zrnosko), 852m, Ruderal vegetation, 24.05.-23.06.2013 GPL7: Cerje, 1090m, Hill pasture, 26.05.2013 GPL8: Cerje-Zrnosko, 1100m, Quercus trojana degraded forest, 24.06.2013 GPL9: Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), 850m, Wet meadow, 27.05.2013 GPL10: Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), 870m, Hill pasture, 26.05.2013

GPL11: Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), 870m, ruderal site, 23.07.2013 GPL12: Gorica e Vogël (Dolna Gorica), Zavir, 860m, Meadow, 24.05.2013 GPL13: Gollomboc (Globochani), 850m, ruderal site, 26.05.2013 GPL14: Gollomboc (Globochani), 860m, in light bulbs, 23.06.2013 GPL15: Gollomboc (Globochani), 860m, in light bulbs, 25.09.2013 GPL16: Gollomboc (Globochani), 860m, Wet meadow, 22.07.2013 GPL17: Kallamas (Tuminec), 850m, Hill pasture (rocky), 24.05.2013 GPL18: Zaroshka (Zrnosko), 850m, Hill pasture, 27.05.2013 GPL19: Zaroshka (Zrnosko), 850m, Wet meadow, 27.05.2013

Small Prespa Lake SPL1: Small Prespa Lake, v. Shuec, Kalasë së Gradishtës, 858m, Querco-Carpinetum orientalis buxetosum (Buxus thicket), 24.05.-23.06.2013 SPL2: Shpela e Trenit, 860m, Wet meadow, 26.05.2013 SPL3a: Shuec, 860m, Wet meadow, 24.05.2013 SPL3b: Shuec, 860m, Wet meadow, 26.05.2013 SPL4: Zagradec, 900m, Hill pasture, 24.07.2013 SPL5: Rakicko, 1120m, Hill pasture, 26.05.2013

Galichica Mountain GAL1: 1 km south-west of border pass, 965m, Hill pasture, 24.05.-23.06.2013 GAL2: 1 km south-west of border pass Macedonia-Albania, 950m, Hill pasture, 25.05.2013 GAL3: 1 km south-west of border pass Macedonia-Albania, 991m, Quercetum frainetto- cerris (Italian and Turkey oak forest), 24.05.-23.06.2013 GAL4: Above Ceroska Lokva (on the road to Pikina Voda), 1322m, Calamintho grandiflorae- Fagetum (Montane beech forest), 24.05.-23.06.2013 GAL5: Ceroska Lokva, above v. Gorna Gorica, 1320m, Hill pasture, 25.05.2013 GAL6a: Ceroska Lokva, above v. Gorna Gorica, 1320m, Hill pasture, 24.06.2013 GAL6b: Ceroska Lokva, above v. Gorna Gorica, 1320m, Reedbed, 24.06.2013 GAL7: Globochani, 950m, Hill pasture, 25.06.2013 GAL8: Gorna Gorica, 900m, ruderal site, 24.05.2013 GAL9a: Pikina Voda, 1400m, Calamintho grandiflorae-Fagetum (Montane beech forest), 24.06.2013 GAL9b: Pikina Voda, 1550m, Calamintho grandiflorae-Fagetum (Montane beech forest), 41541 GAL10: Pikina Voda, 1750m, pasture, 26.05.2013 GAL11: Pikina Voda, 1800m, snow patches on rocky site, 26.05.2013 GAL12: Pikina Voda, 1500-1550m, pasture, 25.05.2013

Mali i Thate MTH1: Chesma e Koritës, 1280m, ruderal site, 25.06.2013 MTH2: Lokvë e Zezë, 2100m, pasture, 25.06.2013 MTH3: Lokvë e Zezë, 2100m, snow patches on rocky site, 25.06.2013 MTH4: Sheshi I Kenit, 1800m, pond, 25.06.2013 MTH5: Plaja e Pusit, 2250m, snow patches on rocky site, 25.06.2013

The following habitats were surveyed during the field research:

A Pruno webbii-Juniperetum excelsae B Querco-Carpinetum orientalis buxetosum (Buxus thicket) C Quercetum frainetto-cerris (Italian and Turkey oak forest) D Quercus trojana degraded forest E Calamintho grandiflorae-Fagetum (Montane beech forest) F Hill pastures G Hill pastures (rocky) H Pasture I snow patches on rocky site J Wet meadow K Reedbed L Pond M Meadow N Agricultural land O Ruderal site

4. Results

4.1 Species diversity

In total, 1001 ground beetle specimens were collected during the field research in 2013. These belong to 103 species (Tab. 1).

Table 1. The list of species of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Prespa National Park in Albania by localities and number of recorded specimens.

Species Localities (number of specimens) N 1. Acinopus picipes (Olivier, 1795) GAL1(1); GPL1(4); GPL5(1); MTH3(1); 7 MTH4(21); SPL1(1) 2. Acupalpus luteatus (Duftschmid, 1812) GPL14(1); GPL15(1) 2

3. Acupalpus maculatus (Schaum, 1860) GPL14(1); GPL15(3); GAL6b(1) 5

4. Agonum viridicupreum viridicupreum GPL19(1) 1 (Goeze, 1777) 5. Amara aenea (DeGeer, 1774) GAL1(5); GAL5(1); GPL12(1); GPL13(1); GPL3(1); 36 GPL5(26); GAL6b(1) 6. Amara curta Dejean, 1828 GAL11(1) 1

7. Amara equestris equestris (Duftschmid, GAL6b(1) 1 1812) 8. Amara fulvipes (Audinet-Serville, 1821) GPL2(5); GPL9(1) 6

9. Amara lucida (Duftschmid, 1812) GPL2(2) 2

10. Amara similata (Gyllenhal, 1810) GAL12(2); GAL9a(1) 3

11. Amara sp. GPL5(1) 1

12. Aptinus merditanus merditanus Apfelbeck, GAL11(1); GAL3(4); GAL4(96) 101 1918 13. Badister peltatus peltatus (Panzer, 1796) GPL14(1) 1

14. Bembidion articulatum (Panzer, 1796) MTH4(1) 1

15. Bembidion dalmatinum dalmatinum MTH3(1); MTH4(21) 22 Dejean, 1831 16. Bembidion lampros (Herbst, 1784) GPL14(1) 1

17. Bembidion siculum smyrnense Apfelbeck, GPL15(1) 1 1904 18. Brachinus crepitans (Linnaeus, 1758) GAL2(1) 1

19. Brachinus explodens Duftschmid, 1812 GAL1(4); GAL7(6); GPL12(1); GPL3(2); GPL5(39) 52

20. Calathus cinctus Motschulsky, 1850 GAL5(1); GAL7(6); GPL12(5); GPL2(3); GPL21(1) 16

21. Calathus distinguendus Chaudoir, 1846 GAL7(5); GPL13(1); GPL2(1); GPL7(1); GPL9(2); 13 MTH1(1); SPL4(1); SPL3b(1) 22. Calathus erratus erratus (C. R. Sahlberg, GAL1(2); GAL7(6); GPL1(1); GPL10(1); GPL18(1) 11 1827) 23. Calathus fuscipes fuscipes (Goeze, 1777) GAL1(6); GAL2(4); GAL5(5); GAL7(3); GPL12(4); 37 GPL13(1); GPL3(9); GPL5(2); GAL6a(2); GPL20(1) 24. Calathus melanocephalus melanocephalus MTH2(1) 1 (Linnaeus, 1758)

Species Localities (number of specimens) N 25. Carabus convexus dilatatus Dejean, 1826 GAL10(1); GAL3(7) 8

26. Carabus coriaceus florinensis Lapouge, GAL3(1); GAL7(1); GPL4(4); GPL6(2) 8 1922 27. Carabus croaticus durmitorensis GAL10(2) 2 Apfelbeck, 1904 28. Carabus gigas parnassicus Kraatz- SPL1(2) 2 Koschlau, 1884 29. SPL1 2

30. Carabus graecus morio Mannerheim, 1830 GPL4(10); SPL2(1) 11

31. Carabus granulatus interstitialis GPL3(1) 1 Duftschmid, 1812 32. Carabus intricatus intricatus Linnaeus, GAL3(1) 1 1761 33. Carabus neumeyeri Schaum, 1856 GAL3(13); GAL4(2); GPL20(1) 16

34. Carabus violaceus dryas Gistl, 1857 MTH5(1) 1

35. Chlaenius decipiens (L. Dufour, 1820) GAL1(2); GPL2(5) 7

36. Chlaenius festivus festivus (Panzer, 1796) SPL3a(1) 1

37. Cicindela campestris olivieria Brullé, 1832 GAL2(1); SPL2(1) 2

38. Cychrus semigranosus albanicus Hopp, GAL4(6) 6 1929 39. Cymindis axillaris axillaris (Fabricius, 1794) GAL7(1) 1

40. Cymindis lineata (Quensel, 1806) SPL4(1) 1

41. Harpalus affinis (Schrank, 1781) MTH2(3) 3

42. Harpalus atratus Latreille, 1804 GAL4(2) 2

43. Harpalus attenuatus Stephens, 1828 GPL2(1) 1

44. Harpalus cupreus fastuosus Faldermann, GAL5(1) 1 1836 45. Harpalus dimidiatus (P. Rossi, 1790) GAL1(19); GAL2(1); GAL7(7); GPL3(3); GPL5(13); 44 SPL2(1) 46. Harpalus distinguendus distinguendus GPL5(9) 9 (Duftschmid, 1812) 47. Harpalus flavicornis flavicornis Dejean, GPL2(1); GPL5(5) 6 1829 48. Harpalus honestus honestus (Duftschmid, GAL5(1); GPL2(1) 2 1812) 49. Harpalus pumilus Sturm, 1818 GPL6(1) 1

50. Harpalus pygmaeus Dejean, 1829 GPL2(8); GPL5(16) 24

Species Localities (number of specimens) N 51. Harpalus rubripes (Duftschmid, 1812) GPL11(1); GPL2(2); GAL9a(1) 4

52. Harpalus rufipes (DeGeer, 1774) GPL5(2) 2

53. Harpalus saxicola Dejean, 1829 GPL2(1) 1

54. Harpalus serripes serripes (Quensel, 1806) GPL14(1); GPL5(6) 7

55. Harpalus signaticornis (Duftschmid, 1812) GPL5(1) 1

56. Harpalus sulphuripes sulphuripes Germar, GPL17(1); GPL2(3); GPL4(3); GPL5(2); SPL1(2) 11 1824 57. Harpalus taciturnus Dejean, 1829 SPL5(1) 1

58. Harpalus tardus (Panzer, 1796) GPL2(3) 3

59. Laemostenus cimmerius weiratheri J. GAL9a(1) 1 Müller, 1932 60. Leistus parvicollis Chaudoir, 1869 MTH5(1) 1

61. Leistus rufomarginatus (Duftschmid, 1812) GAL4(1) 1

62. Leistus spinibarbis rufipes Chaudoir, 1843 GAL4(2) 2

63. Microlestes fissuralis (Reitter, 1901) GAL5(2); GAL7(2); GPL5(4); GPL6(4) 12

64. Microlestes fulvibasis (Reitter, 1901) GAL7(1); GPL6(6); SPL4(2) 9

65. Microlestes maurus maurus (Sturm, 1827) GAL1(10) 10

66. Microlestes negrita Wollaston, 1854 GPL6(5) 5

67. Molops rufipes rufipes Chaudoir, 1843 GAL10(1); GAL4(3); MTH2(2); MTH5(4) 10

68. Myas chalybaeus (Palliardi, 1825) GAL3(4) 10

69. Nebria brevicollis (Fabricius, 1792) GAL5(4); GAL7(1); GAL8(3); GPL3(58); GPL5(21); 90 GPL6(1); GPL9(1); SPL3b(1) 70. Nebria kratteri kratteri Dejean, 1831 GAL3(2); GAL4(10); GAL9b(4) 16

71. Nebria macedonica galicica Horvatovich, MTH5(2) 2 1974 72. Notiophilus substriatus C. R. Waterhouse, GAL8(1); GPL9(1) 2 1833 73. Ophonus azureus (Fabricius, 1775) GAL1(9); GAL5(2); GAL7(2); GPL12(2); GPL2(4); 24 GPL5(3); GPL8(2) 74. Ophonus cribricollis (Dejean, 1829) GAL1(1); GPL2(9); GPL5(11) 21

75. Ophonus diffinis Dejean, 1829 GAL1(1) 1

76. Ophonus gammeli Schauberger, 1923 GAL4(2) 2

77. Ophonus rufibarbis (Fabricius, 1792) GPL12(1) 1

78. Ophonus rupicola (Sturm, 1818) GPL15(1) 1

Species Localities (number of specimens) N 79. Ophonus sabulicola (Panzer, 1796) GAL1(3); GPL12(2); GPL5(1) 6

80. Ophonus subquadratus (Dejean, 1829) GPL6(2) 2

81. Pachycarus cyaneus Dejean, 1830 GPL8(1); SPL1(1) 2

82. Paratachys bistriatus (Duftschmid, 1812) GAL5(2); GPL14(1) 3

83. Parophonus hirsutulus (Dejean, 1829) GPL14(1); GPL2(1); GPL5(1) 3

84. Parophonus maculicornis (Duftschmid, GPL2(1) 1 1812) 85. Parophonus mendax (P. Rossi, 1790) GPL5(1) 1

86. Poecilus cupreus cupreus (Linnaeus, 1758) SPL3b(1) 1

87. Poecilus sericeus Fischer de Waldheim, MTH4(1) 1 1824 88. Pterostichus cursor (Dejean, 1828) SPL3b(4) 4

89. Pterostichus macer macer (Marsham, GAL1(1) 1 1802) 90. Pterostichus niger niger (Schaller, 1783) SPL2(1) 1

91. Scarites terricola terricola Bonelli, 1813 GPL3(12) 12

92. Stenolophus mixtus (Herbst, 1784) GPL14(6); GPL15(8); GPL16(3); 17

93. Stenolophus teutonus (Schrank, 1781) GPL14(2) 2

94. Syntomus impressus impressus (Dejean, GPL6(2) 2 1825) 95. Syntomus pallipes (Dejean, 1825) GPL6(1) 1

96. Trechus austriacus Dejean, 1831 GPL6(1) 1

97. Trechus galicicaensis Guèorguiev et MTH3(1); MTH4(1) 2 Hristovski, 2010 98. Trechus obtusus obtusus Erichson, 1837 GAL7(1) 1

99. Trechus quadristriatus (Schrank, 1781) GAL5(2); GPL15(5) 7

100. Zabrus balcanicus rhodopensis Apfelbeck, GPL5(6) 6 1904 101. Zabrus ganglbaueri ganglbaueri GAL1(4) 4 Apfelbeck, 1906 102. Zabrus incrassatus (Ahrens, 1814) GAL1(1); GAL2(1); GAL3(3); GAL7(9); GPL1(44); 209 GPL12(6); GPL13(1); GPL17(1); GPL18(2); GPL3(67); GPL4(49); GPL5(14); GPL6(1); SPL1(8) 103. Zabrus tenebrioides tenebrioides (Goeze, GAL1(11); GAL2(1) 12 1777)

4.1.1 Habitat analysis

The analysis of the diversity of ground beetles in different habitats is presented in Tab. 2. It is obvious that the habitats of hill pastures, meadows and wet meadows are the most important for ground beetles in Prespa National Park. A considerable number of species and specimens were recorded in the agricultural land, as well but most of these species are common for such a kind of habitat (widespread species with very low conservation importance).

Table 2. Number of species and specimens in different habitats in Prespa National Park in Albania.

Species/habitats A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

Acinopus picipes 1 1 4 1

Acupalpus luteatus 2

Acupalpus maculatus 1 4

Agonum viridicupreum 1

Amara aenea 6 1 1 1 26

Amara curta 1

Amara equestris 1

Amara fulvipes 1 5

Amara lucida 2

Amara similata 1 2

Amara sp. 1

Aptinus merditanus 4 96 1

Badister peltatus 1

Bembidion articulatum 1

Bembidion dalmatinum 1 21

Bembidion lampros 1

Bembidion siculum 1

Brachinus crepitans 1

Brachinus explodens 10 2 1 39

Calathus cinctus 8 8

Calathus distinguendus 7 3 1

Calathus erratus 10 1

Calathus fuscipes 21 9 4 2

Calathus melanocephalus 1

Carabus convexus 7 1

Carabus coriaceus 4 1 1

Carabus croaticus 2

Carabus gigas 2

Carabus graecus 10 1

Carabus granulatus 1

Carabus intricatus 1

Species/habitats A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

Carabus neumeyeri 13 2 1

Carabus violaceus 1

Chlaenius decipiens 2 5

Chlaenius festivus 1

Cicindela campestris 1 1

Cychrus semigranosus 6

Cymindis axillaris 1

Cymindis lineata 1

Harpalus affinis 3

Harpalus atratus 2

Harpalus attenuatus 1

Harpalus cupreus 1

Harpalus dimidiatus 27 4 13

Harpalus distinguendus 9

Harpalus flavicornis 1 5

Harpalus honestus 1 1

Harpalus pumilus

Harpalus pygmaeus 8 16

Harpalus rubripes 1 2

Harpalus rufipes 2

Harpalus saxicola 1

Harpalus serripes 6 1 Harpalus signaticornis 1

Harpalus sulphuripes 3 2 1 3 2

Harpalus taciturnus 1

Harpalus tardus 3

Laemostenus cimmerius 1

Leistus parvicollis 1

Leistus rufomarginatus 1

Leistus spinibarbis 2

Microlestes fissuralis 4 4

Microlestes fulvibasis 3

Microlestes maurus 10

Microlestes negrita

Molops rufipes 3 3 4

Myas chalybaeus 4 6

Nebria brevicollis 5 60 21

Nebria kratteri 2 14

Nebria macedonica 2

Notiophilus substriatus 1

Ophonus azureus 2 13 6 3

Ophonus cribricollis 1 9 11

Ophonus diffinis 1

Ophonus gammeli 2

Species/habitats A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

Ophonus rufibarbis 1

Ophonus rupicola 1

Ophonus sabulicola 3 2 1

Ophonus subquadratus

Pachycarus cyaneus 1 1

Paratachys bistriatus 2 1

Parophonus hirsutulus 1 1 1 Parophonus maculicornis 1

Parophonus mendax 1

Poecilus cupreus 1

Poecilus sericeus 1

Pterostichus cursor 4

Pterostichus macer 1

Pterostichus niger 1

Scarites terricola 12

Stenolophus mixtus 3 14

Stenolophus teutonus 2

Syntomus impressus

Syntomus pallipes

Trechus austriacus

Trechus galicicaensis 1 1

Trechus obtusus 1

Trechus quadristriatus 2 5

Zabrus balcanicus 6

Zabrus ganglbaueri 4

Zabrus incrassatus 49 8 3 15 1 67 50 14

Zabrus tenebrioides 12

Number of species 4 5 8 2 13 33 2 6 8 19 3 4 25 22 12 Number of specimens 66 14 35 3 137 178 2 12 12 174 3 24 122 185 34

4.2 Important species

Important ground-beetle species in Prespa National Park in Albania are the species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Albanian Red List, endemic, relict, rare (new for Albania) species and indicator species (Tab. 3, Fig. 2).

Species/habitats IUCN Red list Albanian Endemic Relict New Indicator of threatened Red List species species species for species species Albania (2013.2) 1. Aptinus merditanus merditanus BE 2. Bembidion siculum smyrnense √ 3. Carabus convexus dilatatus forests

Species/habitats IUCN Red list Albanian Endemic Relict New Indicator of threatened Red List species species species for species species Albania (2013.2) 4. Carabus coriaceus florinensis VU BE 5. Carabus croaticus durmitorensis BE 6. Carabus gigas parnassicus BE 7. Carabus graecus morio BE 8. Carabus granulatus interstitialis VU wetlands 9. Carabus intricatus intricatus Near Threatened forests (Lower Risk) 10. Carabus neumeyeri BE 11. Cychrus semigranosus albanicus BE 12. Harpalus signaticornis √ 13. Harpalus taciturnus √ 14. Laemostenus cimmerius weiratheri BE 15. Leistus parvicollis BE 16. Microlestes fulvibasis √ 17. Molops rufipes rufipes BE 18. Myas chalybaeus BE √ Forests 19. Nebria kratteri kratteri BE √ 20. Nebria macedonica galicica LE √ Climate change 21. Ophonus gammeli √ 22. Pterostichus macer macer √ 23. Trechus austriacus √ 24. Trechus galicicaensis LE √ √ Climate change 25. Zabrus balcanicus rhodopensis BE √ 26. Zabrus ganglbaueri ganglbaueri BE 27. Zabrus incrassatus BE LE - local endemic, BE - Balkan endemic

There is only one species on the IUCN Red list of threatened species (2013.2): Carabus intricatus (Blue ground beetle). This species is connected to well-preserved forest (beech and oak in southern Balkans) and is often used as an indicator for the forests' integrity. Its populations are in decline throughout Europe due to the forestry practices and loss of old forests. The Albanian Red List (URDHËR, Nr. 146 , datë 8. 5. 2007, për miratimin e listës së kuqe të florës dhe faunës) list two vulnerable (VU) species that are present in Prespa National Park: Carabus coriaceus and Carabus granulatus. Carabus coriaceus is common species in Prespa National Park and it is mostly found in open habitats (mainly hill pastures and degraded forests). Carabus granulatus is probably rare species (only one captured specimen near Gorica e Vögel) and it can be well used as an indicator for the integrity of wetlands. The analyses showed presence of 17 endemic species out of 103 (16.5%). Two of them are local endemic species (Trechus galicicaensis and Nebria macedonica galicica) known only

14 from the highest parts of Galichica and Mali i Thate mountains. Both of these species can be considered as vulnerable to climate change since their distribution areal is very small and they require humid conditions (along remaining snow patches in early summer). It is important to notice that 9 species were recorded for the first time for Albanian fauna. All of them were so far known from the neighboring countries (Macedonia and Greece).

Figure 2. Important localities for the conservation of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Prespa National Park, Albania.

4.3 Important habitats for the investigated group

The greatest number of species was recorded in the following habitats: hill pasture, meadow, agricultural land, wet meadow, ruderal site and montane beech forest. Thus, the most valuable natural habitats in terms of ground beetles diversity in Prespa National Park are the beech forest (Fig. 3). Out of the seminatural habitats the most important are hill pastures, meadows and wet meadows. High-mountain pastures (together with the rocky sites) count 13 species and should also be added to the list of important habitats.

35 33

30 25 25 22 19 20 15 15 13

10 8 8 6 5 4 4 5 3 2 2 0 F M N J O E C I H B A L K D G

Figure 3. Number of species in different habitats in Prespa National Park.

4.4 Important localities for the investigated group

The observations during the field research and analysis of the results allowed me to point to certain localities (Fig. 4):

• Plaja e Pusit. The high-altitude area of the peak Plaja e Pusit is important due to the presence of several species, especially the local endemics Trechus galicicaensis and Nebria macedonica galicica. • Pikina Voda. The area in the vicinity of Pinika Voda harbours several important species (e.g. Nebria kratteri, Carabus croaticus durmitorensis, Cychrus semigranosus albanicus and probably Carabus intricatus). The beech forest in this locality is one of the better preserved in Prespa National Park and represents certain potential for conservation of ground beetles and other insects.

• Zavir. Wet meadows, reed, meadows and hill pastures can be found in this locality. The most important species are Carabus granulatus, Zabrus incrassatus, Scariter terricola, etc. • Kallamas. Hill pastures and degraded Greek juniper forest near village of Kallamas have number of important species: Carabus coriaceus, C. graecus morio, Zabrus incrassatus, Harpalus signaticornis, Microlestes fissuralis, etc. • Shuec. This is the area between village Shuec and Small Prespa lake. The habitat is dominatly Querco-Carpinetum orientalis with Buxus. Interesting ground beetles are Carabus gigas, Zabrus incrassatus and Pachycarus cyaneus.

Some other localities have "potential" for certain value in regard to ground beetles: wetlands and sand near Zaroshka, the shore of Small Prespa lake. However, during the field research we were unable to register the expected species.

Figure 4. Important localities for the conservation of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Prespa National Park, Albania.

5. Threats

The most relevant threats to ground beetles in the Prespa National Park have expectedly an anthropogenic origin: • Grazing on the lake shore. Wet meadows, reed beds and other wetland vegetation is significantly altered by the cattle grazing. The number of captures specimens and species in these habitats was very low. Similar habitats in Macedonian part of Prespa are much richer in ground beetles species. • Agriculture. Most of the fertile soils around the lakes are transformed into agricultural land. The natural and seminatural habitats (especially wetlands) are represented by small patches. • Deforestation in higher parts of the mountains. The lower parts of the Prespa National Park are either completely deforester or shrublands prevail. However, such a situation was exploited by a number of species of open habitats. However, the deforestation in higher altitudinal belts represents significant impact to the forest dwellers (Carabus intricatus, Leistus spp., Molops rufipes, Myas chalybaeus, Aptinus merditanus, etc.).

6. Recommendations

The best way to conserve the ground beetles in Prespa National Park is to preserve/restore the important habitats. Special measures have to be undertaken to restore the wetlands along the lakes shores (both Great and Small Prespa lakes). Some localities along the lake shore (e.g. Zavir) have to fall within the strict protection zone. Same measure has to be applied in the case of beech forests. Some localities (e.g. Pikina Voda) should be strictly protected while others managed in sustainable way.

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