[Interrelations of forest and steppe elements in the fauna of herpetobionts of the middle and lower Don river steppe zone].

Herpetobionts of the forest and steppe biocoenoses were studied in the region of their contact under the conditions of the Middle and Lower Don flow limiting for the forest existence. The species composition of coleopterans of the ravine forests comprises 96 species. The dominant complex of herpetobionts of the steppe and ravine forest biocoenoses includes 13 and 9 species, respectively. Forest species predominate in both forest and steppe habitats of the northern regions, while the meadow species, predominate in the southern regions. The forest species Carabus excellens was found in the steppe zone (oak forest of the Derkul' skii region) for the first time.