S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 60. (Budapest, 1999)

and the Beregszászi-hegy Carabus hampei ormay Reitter, 1896 was sampled by using pitfall traps, while in the Kaszonyi-hegy it was collected only by singling. The occurrences of this species also demonstrate the biotic contact of the Beregi-síkság with the Transylvanian mountains and the Eastern-Carpathians. We have studied the biogeographical relations of the carabid fauna of the Beregi-síkság to the Carpathians by using multivariate statistical methods. We demonstrated by cluster analysis that the studied areas can be subdivided into three main-groups (Fig. 2). The forested areas situated in the foothills of the Carpathians form a distinct main-group. Their separation can be explained by the same presence of species of deciduous forests of the hills and mountains [e.g. Carabus intricatus Linnaeus, 1761, Molops piceus (Panzer, 1793) and Abax parallelus (Duftschmid, 1812)] and also by the same occurrence of montane forest-inhabiting species [e.g. Carabus arcensis carpathus Born, 1902; Carabus glabratus Paykull, 1790; Carabus zawadskyi Kraatz, 1854; Cychrus caraboides (Linnaeus, 1758); Abax schueppeli Palliardi, 1825 and Cymindis cingulata Dejean, 1825]. The Dobronyi-erdő, the Dédai-erdő, the Boc-kereki-erdő, the Lónyai-erdő, the Téglási-erdő and the Peresi-erdő form a separate main-group. This fact can be explained by the same presence of the widely distributed species and of lowland species (see Magura et al. 1997). Two sub-groups can be also recognised in this main-group: One of these subgroups is formed by the Téglási-erdő and the Peresi-erdő with numerous hygrophilous species (see Magura et al. 1997). The forests that form the other sub-groups are characterised by widely distributed species, by some inhabitants of lowlands, and also by Abax parallelus (Duftschmid, 1812), characteristic species of hills and mountains. The composition of the carabid communities of the habitats forming the third main-group (Kaszonyihegy, Nagybégányi-hegy, Beregszászi-hegy, Gúti-erdő and Rafajnai-erdő) is similar to the carabid assemblages of the Carpathians. This similarity can be explained by the same presence of the species, characteristic of hills and mountains [e.g. Carabus intricatus Linnaeus, 1761; Leistus rufomarginatus (Duftschmid, 1812); Harpalus quadripunctatus Dejean, 1829; Molops piceus (Panzer, 1793) ana Abax parallelus (Duftschmid, 1812)] and of the montane species [e.g. Carabus arcensis carpathus Born, 1902; Cychrus caraboides (Linnaeus, 1758) and Cymindis cingulata Dejean, 1825]. Our study has shown that the Beregi-síkság can be interpreted as an area belonging to the fluctuation zone of the forest-inhabiting carabid assemblages of the Carpathians. When the forests of the Beregi-síkság were continuous, and thus had direct biotic contacts with the forested areas of the Carpathians, carabid populations characteristic of the hills and mountains, and the montane populations could establish themselves in the forests of the Beregi-síkság. This hypothesis, according to which the Beregi-síkság can be considered as Praecarpathicum (fluctuation zone of the Carpathians) from the biogeographical point of view, is also proved by studies on Gastropoda and Orthoptera (Deli et al. 1993; 1994, Rácz 1993). By now the continuous forests of the Beregi-síkság have become fragmented, consisting of small patches, thus the populations of the carabid species have been disconnected from those of the Carpathians. Therefore carabid populations that are characteristic of the hills and mountains either become extinct or only very few populations survive [e.g. Abax parallelus (Duftschmid, 1812)] in those forest patches (e.g. Dobronyi-erdő, Dédai-erdő, Boc-kereki-erdő, Lónyai-erdő, Téglásierdő and the Peresi-erdő) where the environmental conditions do not promote their survival. However, the habitats (e.g. Kaszonyi-hegy, Nagybégányi-hegy, Beregszászi-hegy, Gúti-erdő and Rafajnai-erdő) where the environmental conditions are sufficient for the survival of the carabid assemblages of the Carpathians can be interpreted as refuges and potential dispersal centres.