The click-beetles of North Ossetia, Caucasus: Fauna, habitat distribution, and biogeography (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

The click-beetle fauna of North Ossetia, North Caucasus, is revised based both on extensive materials and a critical review of literature data. The fauna of North Ossetia comprises 82 species, 74 being present in our materials and 8 included from reliable literature sources. The occurrences of additional 4 species are doubtful and require confirmation. Further 8 species have erroneously been recorded for the fauna of North Ossetia. 16 species are new to the fauna of North Ossetia. The proportion of both European and Euro-Siberian species increases with altitude, whereas the Mediterranean (in wider sense) forms predominate in the northern lowland of the country. The species endemic/subendemic to the Caucasus constitute the bulk of the fauna of the middle-mountain forest belt. The endemics occupy almost all major habitat types of North Ossetia except for the alpine meadows and shingle beds along rivers; their proportion, however, is remarkably higher in broadleaved mesophilous forests.