Dataset: Fauna of Adult Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of the National Park Smolny (Russia)

(1) Background: Protected areas are hotspots of biodiversity in many countries. In such areas, ecological systems are preserved in their natural state, which allows them to protect animal populations. In several protected areas, the Coleoptera biodiversity is studied as an integral part of the ecological monitoring of the ecosystem state. This study was aimed to describe the Carabidae fauna in one of the largest protected areas of European Russia, namely National Park Smolny. (2) Methods: The study was conducted in April-September 2008, 2009, 2017-2021. A variety of ways was used to collect beetles (by hand, caught in light traps, pitfall traps, and others). Seasonal dynamics of the beetle abundance were studied in various biotopes. Coordinates were fixed for each observation. (3) Results: The dataset contains 1994 occurrences. In total, 32,464 specimens of Carabidae have been studied. The dataset contains information about 131 species of Carabidae beetles. In this study, we have not found two species (Carabus estreicheri and Calathus ambiguus), previously reported in the fauna of National Park Smolny. (4) Conclusions: The Carabidae diversity in the National Park Smolny is represented by 133 species from 10 subfamilies. Ten species (Carabus cancellatus, Harpalus laevipes, Carabus hortensis, Pterostichus niger, Poecilus versicolor, Pterostichus melanarius, Carabus glabratus, Carabus granulatus, Carabus arvensis baschkiricus, Pterostichus oblongopunctatus) constitute the majority of the Carabidae fauna. Seasonal dynamics are maximal in spring; the number of ground beetles decreases in biotopes by autumn.

Automated summary

This study investigated the Carabidae fauna in National Park Smolny, Russia, and found a rich diversity of ground beetles in the area. Seasonal dynamics show that the number of ground beetles is highest in spring, decreasing in biotopes by autumn.