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Corresponding author: Shota Japarashvili ( shota.japarashvili.1@iliauni.edu.ge ) Academic editor: Levan Mumladze
© 2023 Shota Japarashvili.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Japarashvili S (2023) Catalog of Georgian Earth-boring dung beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae). Caucasiana 2: 83-90. https://doi.org/10.3897/caucasiana.2.e96388
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Abstract
A summarized list of Georgian earth-boring dung beetles is given, together with Georgian names, distribution data, and suggestions for national red list status according to IUCN Red List categories and criteria.
Sakartvelo, South Caucasus, distribution, red list
The earth-boring beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) are part of the order Coleoptera, with an approximate number of 350 species described worldwide (
Georgia (69.700 km2) is located in the center of the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot and harbors a diverse fauna (
The occurrences of Geogian earth-boring beetles were compiled from the papers of Dzambazishvili (
The nomenclature is given according to the Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera (
Family Geotrupidae Latreille, 1802
აბეზარა (ფრთაგლუვა) ფუნაგორია.
The species is generally distributed in the Caucasus. Out of Georgia, it is known from Armenia (
• 1♀; Samtskhe-Javakheti region, Zekari pass; N41.81667°, E42.83333°; 1969 m a.s.l.; 14/15 June 2014; Leg. D Fominikh; ZIN (Fig.
NE
DD. The species from Georgia is so far known only from a single locality. Most probably, the species occupies a large area in Georgia; however, at this moment, the data is insufficient to assess its conservation status.
მწვანე ცვალებადი ფუნაგორია.
North Africa; nearly all of continental Europe and England; the Caucasus; and Asia Minor (
• 6 inds; Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Khevsha; N42.400542°, E44.689348°; 1458 m a.s.l.; 17 Septemebr 2004; Leg. G Chaladze; CGC. • Lisi lake; N41.74442°, E44.74013°; Dzambazishvili 1979. • Gldani; N41.8088°, E44.834°;
NE.
LC. This species is widespread all over Georgia. AOO is 180 km2 and EOO is 31,370 km2 (Fig.
ოლგასებრი ფუნაგორია.
In Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera (
• 1 ind; Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Khotevi; N42.4640°, E43.1385°; 867 m a.s.l.; 25 July 2021; leg. A Sanakoeva; CaBOL-1013022. • 2 inds; Samtskhe-Javakheti, Nedzvi Managed Reserve; N41.880°, E43.519°; 1001 m a.s.l.; 08 October 2021; leg. A Seropian, N Bulbulashvili; CaBOL-1013098, CaBOL-1013099. • 1♂, 1♀; Envrons of Tbilisi; N41.816926°, E44.75694°; 568 m a.s.l.; September 2006; leg. G Chaladze; CGC ID: G367, G 370. • 1 ind; Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, Mestia; N43.045868°, E42.733608°; 1406 m a.s.l.; 1 April 2022; Leg. "larsonek" (iNaturalist); GBIF ID: 3760191033. • 1 ind; Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kazbegi (Juta); N42.559805°, E44.762735°; 2461 m a.s.l.; 13 June 2019; Leg. F Riegel (iNaturalist); GBIF ID: 2634248431. • 1 ind; Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Khevsha; N42.400542°, E44.689348°; 1458 m a.s.l.; 5 August 2004; leg. G Chaladze; CGC. • 1 ind; 1.6 km west from Murkmeli; N42.915306°, E42.978846°; 2049 m a.s.l.; 14 June 2022; leg. Jacek Pietruszewski (iNaturalist); GBIF ID: 3859629697. • Surroundings of Paravani Lake; N41.4389°, E43.8512°;
NE.
LC. Species is widespread and common all over Georgia. AOO is 620 km2 and EOO is 56 893 km2 (Fig.
ცხვირრქოსანა ფუნაგორია.
General distribution. Europe and Western Asia east to Northern Iran. Fairly common throughout the distribution range (Shokin 2019).
• Tbilisi; N41.7142°, E44.8234°;
NE.
DD. Although the global distribution area is large and no threats or population changes have ever been reported, an evaluation of the species status in Georgia is not confidently possible due to a lack of data. Unlike expextation, AOO and EOO in Georgia are 21.175 km2 and 180 km2 respectively, and therefore it can be considered "Data Deficient" locally.
Syn: Geotrupes caucasicus Weise, 1879 (
კასპიური ფუნაგორია.
Central Caucasus. It is recorded from the Greater Caucasus in Azerbaijan, Zakatala State Reserve (
• 1 ind; Guria, Bakhmaro; N41.854648°, E42.326441°; 1961 m a.s.l.; 26 May 2021; leg. G Chaladze; CaBOL-1009607. • 2 inds; Imereti region, 6 km South of Sairme; N41.877933°, E42.769081°; 1460 m a.s.l.; 06 June 2006; leg. A Putchkov; CGC. • 1♂; Adjara, 3.70 km South of Karapeti; N41.520688°, E42.264959°; 2136 m a.s.l.; 20 June 2017; leg. S Svetlov; ZIN (Fig.
NE.
LC. This species is distributed all over Georgia, with a large AOO (190 km2) and EOO (47.299 km2). Since no population decline or threatening factor is known, this species should be considered of "Least Concern" in Georgia.
უფრთო ფუნაგორია (აფხაზური ფუნაგორია).
Western Caucasus (
• 1 ind; Abkhazia, Gagra; N43.327552°, E40.322623°; 1480 m a.s.l.; 07 July 2022; leg. L Androsiuk (iNaturalist); GBIF ID: 125761900. • 1 ind; Abkhazia, Gagra; N43.310319° E40.329340°; 1785 m a.s.l.; 18 July 2008; leg. A Vlasenko (iNaturalist); GBIF ID: 41357015. • 1 ind; Tkvarcheli, Mt. Tsastou; N42.9333°, E41.8000°; 1689 m a.s.l.; 17 July 2011; leg. V Neimorovets; UkrBIN ID: 58398. • Gvandra; N43.11666°, E41.83333°; 997 m a.s.l.; 21 May 1966; GBIF ID: 3023229526;
NE.
VU. This species is an endemic to western Great Caucasus (
This paper provides a list of all species known so far in Georgia. However, as shown in Fig.
Recently, one more earth-boring dung beetle, Odonteus armiger (Scopoli, 1772), was reported from Lagodekhi Protected Areas (north-eastern Georgia) by
Additional data is required for Geotrupes molestus, as its distribution has not been properly studied. In the literature, only the Caucasus mountains of Armenia (
Three homonyms are known for Geotrupes caucasicus (
I would like to thank Armen Seropian and Natalia Bulbulashvili, for providing data and taking pictures of voucher specimens. My deepest gratitude to Dr. George Japoshvili (Head of the intitute of entomology in Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi) for giving access to the entomological collections of Agricultural University of Georgia and to Dr. Zurab Javakhishvili and Dr. Ketevan Batsatsashvili (Institute of Ecology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia) for valuable addvices in essesment. Deepest gratitude towards Maxim Smirnov for providing pictures and data. Special thanks to unamused reviewers for their valuable advices and to Dr. Levan Mumladze for his extensive editing of the manuscript. The study was supported by the Caucasus Barcode of Life (CaBOL) project financed by Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the grant 01DK20014A.