Komaromi N. Beetles of the Suborder Polyphaga (Coleoptera) in Herpetobios of the Kharkiv Urban Cenoses.

The relevance of the study of the herpetobios coleopterofauna caused by its diversity, significant number, ecological structure and major role in any ecosystem both transformational and bioindication – sensitivity to environmental changes. It allows to understand processes of coleopterocomplexes formation and predicting the regularities of its structuring, sustainability and self-regulation. Scientific novelty. Species composition of the Suborder Polyphaga in the herpetobios of urban cenoses of Kharkiv has been investigated for the first time (318 species, 43 families); eight species in six families are new to the fauna of Ukraine, four species are new to the fauna of the forest-steppe zone of Left-Bank Ukraine. Quantitative and qualitative beetle composition was analyzed for the first time, a comparative faunistic analysis of the rove beetles of Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Kyiv is provided. For the first time, an ecological structure of beetle assemblages in terms of habitat, moisture and trophic preferences was described in the urban cenoses of Kharkiv. Seasonal dynamics of general taxonomic composition, individual numbers and sexual index of the most numerous species were also analyzed for the first time. Peculiarities of the beetle spatial distribution in the urban conditions were examined. Practical significance of the results obtained. Ecological and faunistic data obtained in the course of our study may be used in bioindication research, in the monitoring of urban ecosystems, and in the study of general patterns of the coleopterofauna formation in transformed lands. The results can be regarded as “temporal data” that reflects taxonomic and ecological structure of the urban beetle community in a certain period. The data can serve as a valuable practical material in the development of various educational courses in the field of zoology; they may be useful for plant protection professionals. In general, the obtained experience can improve the research methods of the city fauna and an assessment of the urbanization impact.