Dima assoi Pérez Arcas 1872 (Coleoptera: Elateridae): from montane to hypogean life. An example of exaptations to the subterranean environment?

SummaryThe mesovoid shallow substratum (MSS) of two areas in the Moncayo Massif (Zaragoza, Spain) was sampled for a year with subterranean pitfall traps installed at one meter depth in stony debris. Throughout this period, a large contingent of imagoes of Dima assoi Perez Arcas 1872 (Elateridae) was found; this is a species whose genus is disjunctively distributed at high altitudes, in the Himalayas and Europe. It frequently appeared in the four subterranean traps located in one of the two areas (a bare scree), as well as in some surface pitfall traps, but less frequently in the other area (a beech forest). This fact contrasts with the knowledge about this species, given its nocturnal nature and its sublapidicolous behavior, but seems to agree with its morphological features. Nevertheless, apart from anecdotal information, almost all other aspects of the biology of this species remain unknown. In this work we provide both biotic and abiotic data about the subterranean habitat where this species has been f...