Peatland species are endangered because of peat extraction and drenching of peatland in many regions, and thus are of great conservation concern.

Often times, the trait of being "tyrphobiontic" or "tyrphopilous" is defined differently in the literature, yielding ambigous results. Frequently, studies of peatland fauna do not clearly define which species are characteristic of peatlands, instead focussing on other traits like red data book status etc.

The group of peatland specialists should be definied by their affinity to the habitat trait of peaty soil. For many species, further factors are also relevant, like habitat tradition, elevation and regional climate, vegetation types etc., but peaty soil is a common denominator.

The "Bavarian bog species basket" lists all species from different species groups that are bog species, grouping them into three clearly defined categories of peatland affinity. For carabids, a list of all 26 species in that basked is presented, and examples provided how these differ in their affinity to different bog habitats, and to bog habitats overall.

Carabidae, peatland, bogs, fens, bog forests, tyrphobiontic species, tyrphophilous species, species basket

Dr. Stefan Müller-Kroehling

19thECM oral communication