Scarites (s. str.) procerus eurytus Fischer von Waldheim, 1828

Pavlou, Christoforos, Bolanakis, Giannis, Kardaki, Ljubitsa & Trichas, Apostolos, 2025, Forty years of ground-beetle sampling in Crete. A major contribution to the Carabidae (Coleoptera, Adephaga) fauna of Crete (Greece), Contributions to Entomology 75 (2), pp. 269-288 : 269-288

7. Scarites (s. str.) procerus eurytus Fischer von Waldheim, 1828

Fig. 2 H

Habitat and general distribution.

Scarites p. eurytus has a wide Turano-Mediterranean distribution ( Balkenohl 2017). The species occurs in swamp habitats ( Arndt et al. 2011).

Material examined.

• Chania: Falassarna wetland , 35.479700°N, 23.575000°E, 2 m elev., 15.V.2015 – 9.VII.2015, pitfall traps, 18 spms, leg. Pavlou Chr. ( NHMC) .

Comments.

The species is known from the Greek Mainland and the Aegean ( Arndt et al. 2011). More specifically the species was reported for the first time in Greece by von Oertzen (1886) from Andros and Naxos, while the records from the Greek mainland are more recent ( Arndt et al. 2011). To our knowledge, this is the first record from Crete. A larger population was spotted in Falassarna Bay, west of Chania. The habitat consists of a small coastal salt-marsh inside a sand-dune system and fits the description given by Arndt et al. (2011) (swampy habitats) for the species’ suitable habitat. It is one of the few areas in Crete combining a marsh habitat with a sand dune system. This could explain the absence of this species in other parts of the island (albeit the extensive research in marshes and coastal deltas). Another explanation could be that the observed population is a result of a dispersal from a western region, something that has been also observed for other beetles found in the west coastline of Crete ( Trichas 1996). We consider this scenario less plausible since S. p. eurytus has a wide distribution in all the areas surrounding Crete, although, a stochastic dispersal event from the west cannot be excluded. The species is not yet recorded from Peloponnese, but our record encourages more research regarding the species’ distribution in the southern parts of Greek Mainland. The aggressive touristic development in the wider area of Falassarna Bay and especially around the coastline could pose a serious threat for the species’ population in Crete, even leading to extirpation events.

Figures

Figure 2. A. Calosoma inquisitor; B. Calosoma maderae; C. Carabus graecus trojanus; D. Brachinus plagiatus; E. Brachinus psophia; F. Clivia ypsilon; G. Sirdenus grayii; H. Scarites eurytus; I. Scarites buparius. Scale bars: 5.5 mm (A); 7.75 mm (B); 5 mm (C); 3 mm (D); 2.5 mm (E); 1.75 mm (F); 1.1 mm (G); 6.4 mm (H); 6.8 mm (I).