New Records of Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

A survey of carabid beetles was conducted in six protected forests of Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) namely: Lake Danao, Mt. Nacolod, KuapnitBalinsasayao, Asug Forest, City Forest, and Closed Canopy on January to June of 2019. A total of 7844 individuals belonging to 41 species under 25 genera, 13 tribes, and two (2) subfamilies were recorded in the six selected forests of Leyte and Samar, Eastern Visayas, Philippines. There were 26 species recorded from Lake Danao, 32 species in Mt. Nacolod, 20 species in KuapnitBalinsasayao Forest, 11 species in Asug Forest, 19 species in City Forest and 26 species in Closed Canopy Forest. A total of 19 endemic species were recorded of which 12 are Philippine endemic, six (6) are endemic to Leyte and one (1) is endemic to Samar. After thorough examinations, the study provided new records of carabid beetles in the region. Likewise, new species of carabid beetles were discovered during the conduct of this study. The new records include Brachinusleytensis, Trigonotomagoeltenbothi, Pheropsophusuliweberiin Leyte and Lesticussamarensis in Samar. The new species discovered are Pheropsophusuliweberi and Pheropsophus sp. both are found in Leyte. These findings proved that the forests in Eastern Visayascan be considered as hotspots of carabid diversity. Appropriate protection and conservation mechanisms should be put in place.