Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2025-08-21
Page range: 397-416
Abstract views: 70
PDF downloaded: 2

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Desertas Islands (Madeira archipelago, Portugal): description of a new subspecies and faunistic notes

Center for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute; Departamento de Biologia Animal; Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa; Rua Ernesto de Vasconcelos; Ed. C2; Campo Grande; 1749-016 Lisboa; Portugal.; LIBRe – Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Finnish Museum of Natural History; University of Helsinki; P.O. Box 17 (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13); 00014 Helsinki; Finland.; National Museum of Natural History and Science (MUHNAC); Rua da Escola Politécnica 56; 1250-102 Lisboa; Portugal.
Center for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute; Departamento de Biologia Animal; Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa; Rua Ernesto de Vasconcelos; Ed. C2; Campo Grande; 1749-016 Lisboa; Portugal.
Center for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute; Departamento de Biologia Animal; Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa; Rua Ernesto de Vasconcelos; Ed. C2; Campo Grande; 1749-016 Lisboa; Portugal.; LIBRe – Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Finnish Museum of Natural History; University of Helsinki; P.O. Box 17 (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13); 00014 Helsinki; Finland.
University of the Azores; CE3C – Centre for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute; Rua Capitão João d´Ávila; Pico da Urze; 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo; Portugal.
University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS) – CESPU; Department of Sciences; Rua Central de Gandra; 1317. 4585-116 Gandra; PRD; Portugal.
Center for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute; Departamento de Biologia Animal; Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa; Rua Ernesto de Vasconcelos; Ed. C2; Campo Grande; 1749-016 Lisboa; Portugal.; LIBRe – Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Finnish Museum of Natural History; University of Helsinki; P.O. Box 17 (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13); 00014 Helsinki; Finland.; IUCN SSC Atlantic Island Invertebrates Specialist Group; 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo; Azores; Portugal.; Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza; 9064-512 Funchal; Madeira; Portugal.
Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza; 9064-512 Funchal; Madeira; Portugal
LIBRe – Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Finnish Museum of Natural History; University of Helsinki; P.O. Box 17 (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13); 00014 Helsinki; Finland.; IUCN SSC Atlantic Island Invertebrates Specialist Group; 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo; Azores; Portugal.; University of the Azores; CE3C – Centre for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute; Rua Capitão João d´Ávila; Pico da Urze; 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo; Portugal.; Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza; 9064-512 Funchal; Madeira; Portugal.
Coleoptera Carabids checklist endemic Orthomus new subspecies Macaronesia

Abstract

We update the knowledge on the ground beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Desertas Islands and provide novel information on species distribution in the three islands (Ilhéu Chão, Deserta Grande and Bugio) following two entomological missions carried out in 2011 and 2012. An annotated checklist of the 33 species and subspecies known to occur in the Desertas Islands is presented, jointly with data on their distribution and ecology. Philorhizus melanocephalus (Dejean) is recorded for the first time for Madeira archipelago, four other taxa are new records for the Desertas Islands: Apotomus chaudoirii Wollaston, Ocys harpaloides (Serville), Paradromius (Manodromius) insularis oceanicus (Wollaston) and Syntomus fuscomaculatus (Motschulsky) and several species are for the first time recorded for specific Desertas’ islands. Furthermore, a new subspecies of the genus Orthomus Chaudoir, 1838 sampled by direct collection in Bugio is described: O. (Nesorthomus) bedelianus isambertoi Serrano & Boieiro, ssp. nov. with its habitus and aedeagus illustrated. The new subspecies is compared with the closely related Orthomus (Nesorthomus) bedelianus bedelianus (Lutshnik) from Madeira Island. A historical review of the research on the ground beetles of the Desertas Islands is presented, along with considerations on beetle species rarity and the conservation measures needed to protect them. This information will be helpful to support biodiversity conservation management in the Desertas Islands.

 

References

  1. Boieiro, M., Aguiar, A.F., Aguiar, C.A.S., Borges, P.A.V., Cardoso, P., Crespo, L., Menezes, D., Pereira, F., Rego, C., Silva, I., Martins da Silva, P. & Serrano, A.R.M. (2013b) Madeira, a Pérola da Biodiversidade: valorização dos habitats naturais e dos endemismos do arquipélago. Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia, Lisboa, 80 pp.
  2. Boieiro, M., Aguiar, A.F., Rego, C., Borges, P.A.V. & Serrano, A.R.M. (2015) The biodiversity of terrestrial arthropods in Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos. Revista IDE@—SEA, 6b, 1–21.
  3. Boieiro, M., Carvalho, J.C., Cardoso, P., Aguiar, C.A.S., Rego, C., Faria e Silva, I., Amorim, I.R., Pereira, F., Azevedo, E.B., Borges, P.A.V. & Serrano, A.R.M. (2013a) Spatial factors play a major role as determinants of endemic ground beetle beta diversity of Madeira Island Laurisilva. PLoS ONE, 8 (5), e64591. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064591
  4. Boieiro, M., Menezes, D., Rego, C. & Serrano, A.R.M. (2010) Spatial patterns of endemism and the conservation of beetles (Carabidae and Staphylinidae) in Madeira Island. In: Serrano, A.R.M., Borges, P.A.V., Boieiro, M. & Oromí, P. (Eds.), Terrestrial arthropods of Macaronesia – biodiversity, ecology and evolution. Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia, Lisboa, pp. 115–132.
  5. Borges, P.A.V., Abreu, C., Aguiar, A.M.F., Carvalho, P., Jardim, R., Melo, I., Oliveira, P., Sérgio, C., Serrano, A.R.M. & Vieiras, P. (Eds.) (2008) A list of the terrestrial fungi, flora and fauna of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos. Direcção Regional do Ambiente da Madeira, Funchal, Madeira and Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, 438 pp.
  6. Borges, P.A.V., Lamelas-Lopez, L., Andrade, R., Lhoumeau, S., Vieira, V., Soares, A.O., Borges, I., Boieiro, M., Cardoso, P., Crespo, L.C.F., Karsholt, O., Schülke, M., Serrano, A.R.M., Quartau, J.A. & Assing, V. (2022) An updated checklist of Azorean arthropods (Arthropoda). Biodiversity Data Journal, 10, e97682. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.10.e97682
  7. Cardoso, P., Erwin, T.L., Borges, P.A.V. & New, T.R. (2011) The seven impediments in invertebrate conservation and how to overcome them. Biological Conservation, 144, 2647–2655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.07.024
  8. Cardoso, P., Crespo, L., Silva, I., Borges, P. & Boieiro, M. (2017) Species conservation profiles of endemic spiders (Araneae) from Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos, Portugal. Biodiversity Data Journal, 5, e20810. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.5.e20810
  9. Catry, P., Dias, M., Catry, T., Pedro. P., Tenreiro, P. & Menezes, D. (2015) Bulwer’s petrels breeding numbers on the Desertas Islands (Madeira): improved estimates indicate the NE Atlantic population to be much larger than previously thought. Airo, 23, 10–14. [2014-15]
  10. Colas, G. & Mateu, J. (1958) Une excursion entomologique aux Iles Desertas (Archipel de Madère). Révue française de entomologie, 25, 316–324.
  11. Crespo, L.C., Silva, I., Borges, P.A. & Cardoso, P. (2014) Assessing the conservation status of the strict endemic Desertas wolf spider, Hogna ingens (Araneae, Lycosidae). Journal for Nature Conservation, 22, 516–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2014.08.005
  12. Donabauer, M. (2008) Zwei neue Arten der Gattungen Nesorthomus und Eutrichopus (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini). Zeitschrift Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen, 60, 117–120.
  13. Dunn, R.R. (2005) Modern insect extinctions, the neglected majority. Conservation Biology, 19, 1030–1036. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00078.x
  14. Erber, D. (1990) New and little known Coleoptera from Madeira. Results of excursions to Madeira in the years 1986–1990. Boletim do Museu Municipal Funchal, 42, 147–181.
  15. Erber, D. & Hinterseher, W. (1988) Contribution to the knowledge of the Madeira beetles. Boletim do Museu Municipal Funchal, 40, 139–214.
  16. Erber, D. & Hinterseher, W. (1990) Additional notes to the knowledge of the Madeira beetles. Boletim do Museu Municipal Funchal, 42 (222), 141–146.
  17. Fernández-Palacios, J.M., Kreft, H., Irl, S.D.H., Norder, S., Ah-Peng, C., Borges, P.A.V., Burns, K.C., de Nascimento, L., Meyer, J.Y., Montes, E. & Drake, D.R. (2021) Scientists' warning - The outstanding biodiversity of islands is in peril. Global Ecology and Conservation, e01847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01847
  18. Gerlach, J. (2008) Preliminary conservation status and needs of an oceanic island fauna: the case of Seychelles insects. In: New, T.R. (eds.), Insect Conservation and Islands. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8782-0_8
  19. IBM Corp. (2022) IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows. Version 29.0. IBM Corp., Armonk, New York. [program]
  20. Jansson, A. (1940) Die Arthropodenfauna von Madeira nach den Ergebnissen der Reise von Prof. Dr. O. Lundblad Juli-August 1935. XXIX. Coleoptera: Sämtliche Familien unter Ausschluss der Familie der Carabidae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae und der Gattung Cryptrophagus Herbst aus der Familie Cryptophagidae. Arkiv för Zoologi, 32, 1–64.
  21. Lhoumeau, S., Tsafack, N., Manso, S., Figueiredo, T., Leite, A., Parmentier, L., Ferreira, M.T. & Borges, P.A.V. (2024) Monitoring arthropods under the scope of the LIFE-BEETLES project: I - Baseline data with implementation of the Index of Biotic Integrity. Biodiversity Data Journal, 12, e124799. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e124799
  22. Lindberg, H. (1963) A contribution to the study of beetles in the Madeira Islands. Results of expeditions in 1957 and 1959. Compiled with the help of various specialists. Societas Scientiarum Fennica Commentationes Biologicae, 25 (2), 1–156.
  23. Lorenz, W. (2021) Carabcat database. In: Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Vandepitte, L., Hobern, D., Remsen, D., Schalk, P., DeWalt, R.E., Keping, M., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Adlard, R., Adriaenssens, E.M., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., Akkari, N., et al., Catalogue of Life Checklist. Version 03. August 2021. Faunaplan, Tuzing. Available from: https://www.catalogueoflife.org/ (accessed 14 February 2024)
  24. Lundblad, O. (1958) Die Arthropodenfauna von Madeira nach den Ergebnissen der Reise von Prof. Dr. O. Lundblad Juli-August 1935. XXXV. Die Käferfauna der Insel Madeira. Arkiv för Zoologi, 11, 461–524.
  25. Machado, A. (1992) Monografía de los Carábidos de las Islas Canárias (Insecta, Coleoptera). Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna, 734 pp.
  26. Machado, A. (1995) Ground beetles of Macaronesia, an overview (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Boletim do Museu Municipal Funchal Supplement, 4, 395–410.
  27. Machado, A. (2006) T. Vernon Wollaston (1822–1878). Un Entomólogo en la Macaronesia. Taro de Tahiche, Fundación César Manrique, Teguise, 170 pp.
  28. Martín, J.L, Arechavaleta, M., Borges, P.A.V. & Faria, B. (Eds.) (2008) TOP 100 - As cem espécies ameaçadas prioritárias em termos de gestão na Região Europeia Biogeográfica da Macaronésia. Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación Territorial, Gobierno de Canarias, 500 pp.
  29. Mateu, J. (1951) El genero Orthomus Chaud. en las Islas Atlántidas. EOS: Revista Espanola de Entomologia, 27, 277–289.
  30. Mateu, J. (1957) Revisión de los Dromius Bonelli y Philorhizus Hope, de las Islas Canarias y Madera (Col. Carabidae). Bulletin du Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 33 (29), 1–30.
  31. Mateu, J. (1970) Les Calathus Bon. (Col. Carabidae) de l'Archipel de Madère. Publicações do Instituto de Zoologia Augusto Nobre, 109, 9–19.
  32. McKinney, M.L. (1999) High rates of extinction and threat in poorly studied taxa. Conservation Biology, 13, 1273–1281. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.97393.x
  33. Medeiros, M.J., Eiben, J.A., Haines, W.P., Kaholoaa, R.L., King, C.B.A., Krushelnycky, P.D., Magnacca, K.N., Rubinoff, D., Starr, F. & Starr, K. (2013) The importance of insect monitoring to conservation actions in Hawaii. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society, 45, 149–166.
  34. Menezes, D., Freitas, I., Gouveia, L., Oliveira, P., Pires, R. & Fontinha, S. (2005) As Ilhas Desertas. Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais, Serviço do Parque Natural da Madeira, 94 pp.
  35. Menezes de Sequeira, M., Jardim, R., Gouveia, M., Góis-Marques, C.A. & Eddie, W.M.M. (2021) Population decline in the Critically Endangered Musschia isambertoi (Campanulaceae) endemic to Desertas Islands (Madeira Archipelago) calls for urgent conservation management. Journal for Nature Conservation, 60, 125955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.125955
  36. Ortuño, V.M. (1996) La genitalia femenina en los Poecilini (Caraboidea, Pterostichidae) de la Península Ibérica. I. El género Orthomus Chaudoir, 1838. Nouvelle Revue d`Entomologie, New Series, 13 (3), 261–274.
  37. Oyarzabal, G., Pozsgai, G., Tsafack, N., Cardoso, P., Rigal, F., Boieiro, M., Santos, A.M.C., Amorim, I.R., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Costa, R., Lhoumeau, S., Gabriel, R. & Borges, P.A.V. (2025) Threats and conservation status of the endemic terrestrial arthropods of the Azores. Biological Conservation, 309, 111282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111282
  38. Pires, R. & Neves, H. (2001) Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus conservation: a case study in the Desertas Islands. Mammalia, 65 (3), 301–308. https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2001.65.3.301
  39. Quartau, J.A. (1981) Missão Zoológica aos Arquipélagos da Madeira e das Selvagens. Arquivos do Museu Bocage, Série C Suplementos, 1 (1), 1–29.
  40. Régnier, C., Achaz, G., Amaury, L., Cowie, R.H., Bouchet, Ph. & Benoît, F. (2015) Mass extinction in poorly known taxa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, 112 (25), 7761–7766. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1502350112
  41. Rijsdijk, K.F., Hengl, T., Norder, S.J., Otto, R., Emmerson, B.C., Ávila, S.P., López, H., van Loon, E.E., Tjorve, E. & Fernández-Palacios, J.M. (2014) Quantifying surface area changes of volcanic islands driven by Pleistocene sea level cycles: biogeographic implications for Macaronesian archipelagos, Atlantic Ocean. Journal of Biogeography, 41, 1242–1254. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12336
  42. Serrano, A.R.M. (1987) Contribution à la connaissance des Coléoptères de l`Archipel de Madère. I. Coleoptera: Carabidae, Dytisidae, Hydraenidae, Hydrophilidae, Histeridae et Staphylinidae. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal, 39 (192), 141–155.
  43. Serrano, A.R.M. (1989) Notiophilus quadripunctatus Dejean, 1826 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) new to Macaronesia. Bocagiana, 131, 1–4.
  44. Serrano, A.R.M. & Boieiro, M. (2008) Carabidae. In: Borges, P.A.V., Abreu, C., Aguiar, A.M.F., Carvalho, P., Jardim, R., Melo, I., Oliveira, P., Sérgio, C., Serrano, A.R.M. & Vieira, P. (eds.) A list of the terrestrial fungi, flora and fauna of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos. Direcção Regional do Ambiente da Madeira, Funchal, Madeira and Universidade dos Açores, Funchal and Angra do Heroísmo, pp. 310–313.
  45. Serrano, A.R.M., Aguiar, C.A.S., Boieiro, M.C., Borges, P.A.V., Rego, C., Rosário, I.A., Ribeiro, S.P. & Pereira, F. (2009) A new species of Orthomus Chaudoir, 1838 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Madeira island (Macaronesia) and notes on related species. Zootaxa, 1972 91), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1972.1.2
  46. Serrano, A.R.M., Borges, P.A.V., Boieiro, M. & Oromí, P. (Eds.) (2010) Terrestrial arthropods of Macaronesia – Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution. Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia, Lisboa, 327 pp.
  47. Serrano, A.R.M., Aguiar, C.A.S., Boieiro, M.C., Borges, P.A.V., Rego, C., Rosário, I.A., Ribeiro, S.P. & Pereira, F. (2012) Synonymy of Orthomus susanae Serrano & Borges, 2009 with Orthomus annae (Donabauer, 2008) (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Zootaxa, 3219 91), 67–68. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3219.1.4
  48. Stüben, P.E. (2016) The Coleoptera of the Salvage Islands. Curculio Institute, Moenchengladbach, 120 pp.
  49. Reid, C. & Hutton, I. (2024) Recovery of a flightless beetle after elimination of rodents on Lord Howe Island, Australia. Journal of Insect Conservation, 28, 1381–1385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-024-00570-7
  50. Triantis, K.A., Borges, P.A.V., Ladle, R.J., Hortal, J., Cardoso, P., Gaspar, C., Dinis, F., Mendonça, E., Silveira, L.M.A., Gabriel, R., Melo, C., Santos, A.M.C., Amorim, I.R., Ribeiro, S.P., Serrano, A.R.M., Quartau, J.A. & Whittaker, R.J. (2010) Extinction debt on oceanic islands. Ecography, 33, 285–294. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06203.x
  51. Wollaston, T.V. (1854) Insecta Maderensia, being an Account of the Insects of the Islands of the Madeiran Group. Taylor and Francis, London, 634 pp., pls. I–XIII. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.9060
  52. Wollaston, T.V. (1857) Catalogue of the Coleopterous Insects of Madeira in the collection of the British Museum. Taylor and Francis, London, 225 pp., pl. I.
  53. Wollaston, T.V. (1858) On additions to the Madeiran Coleoptera. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 3, 2, 407–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935808697055
  54. Wollaston, T.V. (1860) On additions to the Madeiran Coleoptera. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 3, 5, 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222936008697203
  55. Wollaston, T.V. (1865) Coleoptera Atlantidum, being an enumeration of the coleopterous insects of the Madeiras, Salvages and Canaries. Taylor and Francis, London, 526 pp., Appendice, Index topographicous, 140 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.29516
  56. Wrase, D. (2009) New or interesting records of Carabid beetles from Europe, Madeira, northern Africa, Turkey, from the Near East, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Pakistan, with nomenclatorial and taxonomic notes (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidiini, Brachinini, Cyclosomini, Elaphrini, Harpalini, Lebiini, Nebriini, Platynini, Pterostichini, Scaritini, Sphodrini, Zabrini). Linzer biologische Beiträge, 41 (1), 901–935.
  57. Wrase, D. (2010) A new species of genus Zargus Wollaston 1854 from Madeira (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Licinini). Linzer biologische Beiträge, 42 (1), 325–334.

How to Cite

Serrano, A.R., Aguiar, C.A., Cardoso, P., Pereira, F., Castro, C.P.E., Rego, C., Silva, I. & Boieiro, M. (2025) Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Desertas Islands (Madeira archipelago, Portugal): description of a new subspecies and faunistic notes. Zootaxa, 5683 (3), 397–416. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5683.3.4