THE BEETLE FAUNA OF A MATURE SPRUCE–SPHAGNUM BOG, ALGONQUIN PARK, ONTARIO; ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SPECIES COMPOSITION

The beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of a black spruce [ Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP] – tamarack [ Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch] – Sphagnum bog in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, was sampled from early June to mid-August with yellow pan traps and emergence traps. The yield was 5734 beetles, in 30 families. Ptiliidae was the most numerically abundant and Staphylinidae was the most taxonomically diverse. Carabidae was second in diversity and third in numerical abundance. The abundance and ecological implications of some individual species are discussed. Few of the species are bog-specific. The faunal composition suggests that the bog is in a late-succession phase and that most of the beetle species are derived from adjacent habitats.