This study aims to explore and improve the understanding of the biodiversity
of beetles in the Maamora forest, one of the largest cork oak forests in the world. A survey
was carried out over two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), using both active and passive
traps. A total of 8247 individuals were collected, representing 256 species, belonging to 42
families of Coleoptera order. Most of the beetle species belonged to the families
Tenebrionidae (27 species), Carabidae (27 species) and Curculionidae (24 species). Out of the
256 species identified, 216 have been included in this document. We only selected species of
high heritage value; 53 were saproxylic, including 6 rare species; 29 were endemic, and 26
species were identified as new records for the Moroccan entomofauna. These results provide
the first checklist of beetle fauna in the Maamora forest, which will contribute new
information on the distribution of beetles in the cork oak forests of Morocco. |