In countries like Madagascar, where biological diversity is high but also highly threatened, it is imperative that we gather a baseline of information on little known taxa. This information will have countless applications for future work in systematics and conservation. For this research, the tribe Platynini was chosen because it is the most diverse and abundant of the ground beetle tribes in Ranomafana National Park (RNP). By working with previously collected specimens, as well as conducting field work at RNP, at least 50 morphospecies in 9 different genera have been identified. Almost all of these are new locality records for RNP and some of them are most likely undescribed species. A species list for RNP, with all species compared to type specimens, is given. Microhabitat and collecting method information, known distributions for each species within the Park, and a key to the species of RNP (both online and in standard form) will be included. Also discussed are the strong seasonality of the carabid fauna at RNP, the difficulty and inappropriateness of standard mass collecting techniques and quantitative sampling for carabids in tropical areas, and the need for collaboration with local Malagasy people in order to conduct a truly thorough inventory.
Species 1: Coleoptera Carabidae
Keywords: Madagascar, Biotic inventory
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA