Biogeography of predaceous diving beetles (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) of Mongolia

Abstract

The bio-geographical composition and spatial distribution patterns of dytiscid assemblages in Mongolia are relatively unexplored. In this study, we compiled a list of 99 dytiscid species belonging to 20 genera and five subfamilies recorded in Mongolia and investigated species richness, spatial distribution and bio-geographical composition of the Mongolian dytiscid fauna. This study encompasses the information of currently recorded species and their geographic localities in Mongolia based on our own data and literature sources. We examined how dytiscid species richness was related to sub-basins of surface water network, as well as to geographical elevations within Mongolia. The majority of the Mongolian dytiscid fauna was associated with the sub-basins belonging to Arctic Ocean (80 species, 80.8%) and Central Asian Inland (60 species, 60.6%) basins. Only a few species of dytiscids belonged to the remaining river basins. Species richness of dytiscids and total area of sub-basins were not correlated, but species composition of dytiscids differed significantly among the sub-basins. We observed that most of the species (77 species or 77.8% of total fauna) were recorded in a wide range of elevations and mid-altitudes (1000–2000 m a.s.l.) and showed the greatest diversity of dytiscids. Regarding the bio-geographical composition, species with wide geographical distributions (27.3% of dytiscids), were Palearctic species, while species of Arctic origin (21.2%) together with Boreal elements (16.2%) comprised a large proportion of the dytiscid fauna in Mongolia.