Inventory of Tiger and Ground Beetles (coleoptera, caraboidea: Cicindelidae And carabidae) in Two Sampling Seasons of the Gorongosa National Park

The Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique) is one of the most emblematic protected areas in Africa, well known for its vertebrate biodiversity and restoration ecology efforts following the Mozambican civil war in 1992. The invertebrate biodiversity of Gorongosa National Park is still poorly studied, although the scarce information available indicates the existence of a rich number of species, particularly ground-beetles. The study of Caraboidea beetles is key for designing conservation practices since they are frequently used as biodiversity and ecological indicators and provide valuable information to help decision making. Therefore, the diversity assessment of Caraboidea beetles using standardized methodologies, can be used to quantify the effects of climate change in areas identified as vulnerable to antropogenic pressures, such as the Gorongosa National Park We report the occurrence of five tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) and 93 ground beetles (Carabidae) species/morphospecies in Gorongosa National Park from a field survey funded by the ECOASSESS project. Sampling was performed in the four main habitat types present in the park (miombo tropical forest, mixed dry forest, transition forest and grasslands) between October 25 th and November 25 th . In this sampling window, the turnover of Caraboidea species from the dry season to the wet season was recorded for the first time. Twenty-seven species of ground-beetles are new records to Mozambique, including three new subgenera and two new genera. Additional information on species phenology and habitat preferences is also provided.