Ground beetles and their habitat preferences along a high altitude transect from 2100 to 2500 m a.s.l. in the Swiss Alps (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

During one season in the year 2020 terrestrian Arthropods were collected using barber traps in the eastern Central Alps in Switzerland in the area Sur, Alp Flix. The main goal was the monitoring of the biodiversity along a vertical transect from 2100 to 2500 m a.s.l. Along the rivulet Ava dallas Tigias at seven localities each three barber traps were kept open from June 2020 till November 2020. Here the caught Carabidae are presented and using similarity- and dominance indices, the respective habitats are differentiated from each other along the vertical transect. 393 Carabid beetles out of 21 species were found and determined. Seven species are recorded for the first time from Alp Flix. Among them the rarely found Amara nigricornis and Leistus montanus rhaeticus. Based on the calculations, three habitats could be differentiated: subalpine green alder bush habitat with half shaded and moderately humid characteristics; alpine habitat with dense herb cover and more or less humid characteristics, and a short grassy high alpine habitat with a xero-thermophilous characteristics.

VIVO