GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) OF IRANIAN COTTON FIELDS AND SURROUNDING GRASSLANDS

Abstract

The family Carabidae (Coleoptera) is among the dominant groups of terrestrial predators and includes more than 40,000 species worldwide, making it one of the largest families of beetles. The fauna of Iranian Carabidae is very diverse, but was not studied perfectly. In the present paper, this group of beneficial predators is studied on the basis of several samples through 2000-2006 in all the cotton fields and surrounding grasslands of Iran. Totally, 115 species and subspecies belonging to 16 subfamilies were collected from 18 different localities. Of these diverse fauna, 8 species are the new records for Iranian fauna.