State of knowledge of the ladybird beetle (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) fauna of Armenia and other Transcaucasian countries, including two new country records

Abstract

Beetles (Coleoptera) have been surveyed in Armenia and other Transcaucasian countries since the first half of the 19th century. Based on the literature reports and our new data, available information was gathered on the occurrence in Armenia of one of the beetle families, the ladybirds (Coccinellidae). 84 species of Coccinellidae have been reported from this country in the literature and/or collected during our recent field survey. Two of them, Anatis ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata (Linnaeus, 1761), have not been reported in the literature but were present in our field samples, so they can be considered species new to Armenia, and signify new country records. In addition to the 84 species unambiguously reported from Armenia, 14 were broadly reported from larger regions that include that country (Transcaucasia, the Caucasus) or its parts (the Araks valley). The recognized Coccinellidae fauna of Armenia is slightly poorer than the faunas of other Transcaucasian countries (Azerbaijan and Georgia): there are 92 species currently known to occur in Azerbaijan and 90 species in Georgia. Interestingly, the Armenian fauna contains more Caucasian endemics (10 species) and fewer non-natives (1 species) than the faunas of Azerbaijan (4 endemics and 2 non-natives) and Georgia (6 endemics and 6 non-natives).