Impact of a road on the movements of two ground beetle species (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

We studied the effects of a road on the walking directions of the carabid species Poecilus versicolor and Agonum sexpunctatum. Using mark and recapture experiments and window trapswe determined the number of road crossings and the deviation in walking directions caused by the road. We found two effects of the road on the walking behaviour: (1) the road is a barrier to both species, but whereas P. versicolor was reluctant to cross the road and had a significant movement away from the road, we recorded no road crossings by A. sexpunctatum; and (2) A. sexpunctatum showed a marked tendency to walk along the roadside verge, particularly in the ditch. Of these two species, only one individual of A. sexpunctatum was caught flying close to the road, indicating that itmight cross the road by flying. Counts of dead carabid specimens on two 100 m long transects along the road carried out for nine weeks recorded several individuals of P. versicolor. We conclude with suggestions on how to implement the results of this study in nature conservation practices

Forty years of carabid beetle research in Europe - from taxonomy, biology, ecology and population studies to bioindication, habitat assessment and conservation

Volume: 100Start Page: 55End Page: 14

[book review:] Christoph Muster & Marc Meyer 2014 Verbreitungsatlas der Weberknechte des Großherzogtums Luxemburg

For faunistic research on a certain animal group, knowledge of the situation in surrounding countries is a necessity. The presence of certain species in neighbouring regions, together with notes on their distribution and trends, offers valuable information for the interpretation of the status of these species in one’s own study area. Changes in the national fauna – e.g. the discovery of a new species – can often better be explained when integrating information on the status of species in nearby countries. Distribution atlases are therefore not only valuable publications for the country of concern, but also for other countries in the same region