The composition and seasonal changes in the beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of the western Victorian basalt plains native grasslands

Abstract

The western Victorian basalt plains native grasslands are recognised as one of the most endangered plant communities in Australia. Since European settlement, they have been cleared, grazed, and fragmented and are now found as small scattered remnants. No general invertebrate surveys were undertaken in these grasslands until the 1990s, and this paper reports on the beetles associated with 12 native grassland sites that were sampled seasonally between 1992 and 1993. A total of 114 beetle morphospecies from 26 families were collected, dominated by members of four families (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae). The beetle fauna comprised a small number of widespread species and over 63% of species were found at only one or two sites. In terms of relative abundances, a small number of beetle species dominated the fauna; the 10 most common species comprised nearly 64% of the total number of individuals collected.