Seasonal changes in darkling beetle communities (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in the Ramon erosion cirque, Negev Highlands, Israel

Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) were studied using pitfall traps in the Ramon erosion cirque in Israel for 2 years. The species showed similar phenologies in different habitats. Only one species (Erodins edomitus) was a temporal specialist. Most species exhibited 7-10 month activity periods with one or two peaks of abundance. Diversity of the beetle communities was maximal in summer. The communities were most equitable in winter and summer and least equitable in spring and autumn. Multivariate analysis showed four temporal phases of community composition in the course of a year; (a) February-April, (b) May-July, (c) August-November and (d) December-January. The tenebrionid communities of these temporal phases differed more in species relative abundances than in species composition.