Additions to the list of ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) species of the city and surroundings of Plovdiv in Bulgaria

The Bulgarian ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) fauna is relatively well studied, with some regions of the country being more thoroughly researched. One of them is the region of the city and surroundings of Plovdiv (central-southern Bulgaria). Its fauna has been studied recently, and a total of 167 carabid species have been reported so far. Since then, our field trips have never stopped. As a result of fieldwork conducted mostly over the last three years, exclusively through handpicking, this study adds novelty to the data on carabids. Thirty-eight species were newly collected, and eight of them represent new records for the region. These are: Apristus reticulatus, Callistus lunatus, Chlaenius nitidulus, Lebia chlorocephala, Ophonus melletii, Philorhizus notatus, Stenolophus mixtus and Trechus austriacus. Three other species, Bembidion inoptatum, Lebia cyanocephala and Demetrias atricapillus, have been previously reported, but more than 30 years ago. Here, for the first time, we also report the genera Apristus, Callistus and Philorhizus from the study region. The newly reported species are quite different in their biology and ecology. Among them are some rare or difficult-to-collect beetles, as well as some quite common species in Bulgaria. Thus, this study indicates that, with proper research and with the animals’ migrations driven by environmental changes in mind, the species richness of carabid fauna will certainly increase in the future.