THE COLEOPTERA (BEETLE) FAUNA AND ITS ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE UNDER KYZYLKUM DESERT CONDITIONS (A CASE STUDY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KARAKALPAKSTAN)

Abstract

This paper analyses, on the basis of scientific sources, the faunistic composition, ecological groups and bioindicator significance of representatives of the order Coleoptera (beetles) in the Kyzylkum Desert, situated in the southern and south-eastern part of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The aim of the study is to reveal the diversity of beetles under arid desert conditions, and in particular the role of the families Carabidae, Tenebrionidae and Meloidae in the stability of the ecosystem. The materials were generalised through the comparative analysis of local and international studies published in 2021–2025, field collections, pitfall trap data and literature sources. The sources indicate that 31 species belonging to 8 families of Coleoptera have been recorded in the Karakalpakstan part of the Kyzylkum, that 79 species of Tenebrionidae have been collected in western Uzbekistan, and that the Meloidae fauna of the Southern Aral Sea region comprises 27 species, 19 of which occur in the Kyzylkum biocenosis. The results confirm that desert beetles play an important role in limiting pests, decomposing organic residues, in soil processes and in ecological monitoring.