THE BEETLE FAUNA OF A MATURE SPRUCE SPHAGNUM BOG, ALGONQUIAN-PARK, ONTARIO - ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SPECIES COMPOSITION

The beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of a black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP]-tamarack [Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch] - Sphagnum bog in Algo nquin Provincial Park, Ontario, was sampled from early June to mid-Aug ust with yellow pan traps and emergence traps. The yield was 5734 beet les, in 30 families. Ptiliidae was the most numerically abundant and S taphylinidae was the most taxonomically diverse. Carabidae was second in diversity and third in numerical abundance. The abundance and ecolo gical implications of some individual species are discussed. Few of th e species are bog-specific. The faunal composition suggests that the b og is in a late-succession phase and that most of the beetle species a re derived from adjacent habitats.