Agonum (s. str.) monachum syriacum Schmidt & Liebherr, 2009

Assmann, Thorsten, Boutaud, Esteve, Buse, Joern, Drees, Claudia, Friedman, Ariel-Leib-Leonid, Harry, Ingmar, Khoury, Fares, Orbach, Eylon, Renan, Ittai, Schmidt, Constantin, Schmidt, Kilian, Wrase, David W. & Zumstein, Pascale, 2021, The ground beetle tribe Platynini Bonelli, 1810 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the southern Levant: dichotomous and interactive identification tools, ecological traits, and distribution, ZooKeys 1044, pp. 449-478 : 449

Agonum (s. str.) monachum syriacum Schmidt & Liebherr, 2009

Dispersal power.

Fully winged and flight-active (pers. obs.).

Habitat.

Known only from winter ponds (Fig. 31 ) and intact large wetlands (e.g., swamps north of the Sea of Galilee).

Phenology.

Spring breeder, adults hibernate (pers. obs.).

Distribution range.

The species is distributed from Southwest Europe to Central Asia, southwards to Israel and Iran ( Schmidt 2017). The subspecies Agonum monachum syriacum is known from Southeast Turkey to Israel ( Schmidt and Liebherr 2009) and from Iran ( Schmidt 2017).

Distribution in the southern Levant.

In the southern Levant recorded exclusively from four sites in Israel, three of them from winter pools in the Central Coastal Plain (Berekhat Ya’ar (sometimes also written Breikhat Ya’ar), Dora Pool and Ga’ash Pool; from the latter two sites only single specimens). A large population exists also in the swamps north of the Sea of Galilee.

Taxonomic notes.

Schmidt (2017) listed the nominate subspecies from Israel, but we know only the subspecies subspecies Agonum monachum syriacum from the southern Levant. All specimens we know from the southern Levant show a greenish metallic luster on the upper side, despite the indication in the original description.

Conservation.

In contrast to A. nigrum a rarely recorded species; we know only two larger populations (Sea of Galilee, Berekhat Ya’ar). Threatened by habitat loss, drainage, and water table drawdown.

Figures

Figures 31 - 34. Habitats of Platynini species in the southern Levant 31 Merom Golan (Golan Heights): water reservoir, habitat of Agonum rugicolle, A. sordidum, A. marginatum, A. viridicupreum, A. nigrum, and Anchomenus dorsalis infuscatus 32 Ein Akev (Central Negev): headwater stream in desert, habitat of Agonum nigrum 33 Breikhat Ya'ar (Coastal Plain, east of Hadera): winter pond, habitat of Agonum monachum syriacum, A. viridicupreum, A. nigrum, and Anchomenus dorsalis infuscatus 34 Nahal Bezet (Upper Galilee): softwood floodplain woodland with Oleander (Nerium oleander), habitat of Atranus ruficollis.