The Main Stages in the Formation of the Ground Beetle Fauna (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of the Sikhote-Alin, with Endemics Taken as an Example. 2. An Analysis of Distributions

Abstract

The distributions of ground beetle taxa endemic to the Sikhote-Alin Mountains are analyzed at the level of related groups. The centers of endemism and the main boundaries are delineated in the Sikhote-Alin territory, and the altitudinal and habitat preferences of the endemics are analyzed. The main stages in the formation of the recent endemic ground beetle fauna of the Sikhote-Alin are determined. The absence of complete ice cover in the Pleistocene allowed the Sikhote-Alin fauna to develop for a long time without epochs of complete destruction. The forest vegetation preserved in the south and east of the Sikhote-Alin during the Pleistocene glaciation served as a major refugium for the Tertiary North Asian fauna.