Carabid fauna is not sufficiently explored in Central and Western Balkan areas, especially in mountain ecosystems with unique biodiversity which is a result of specific environmental factors and geologic history. Furthermore, distribution of species and adaptation to varying environmental parameters change along the altitudinal gradients. All this highlights the need for biodiversity and ecological studies in order to assess the state of the mountain ecosystems and conservation significance. Carabids as good bioindicator group can be used as a tool for monitoring those changes. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences of body size distribution and mean individual biomass (MIB) of ground beetle assemblages as a response of changing conditions and vegetation types along an altitudinal gradient on Belasitsa Mountain in south Macedonia. Both parameters significantly decreased with increasing altitude and were consequently associated with the vegetation type. Larger bodied individuals and higher values of MIB were recorded in the white oak and oriental hornbeam forest stands with the values decreasing in sessile oak forests towards submontane and montane beech forest stands. This research yielded first list of carabid species inhabiting Belasitsa Mountain with insight of carabid body length and biomass distribution along altitudinal gradient.

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A total of 71 species belonging to 14 families (Araneidae -1; Dysderidae -3; Gnaphosidae -21; Linyphiidae -6; Liocranidae -2; Lycosidae -19; Philodromidae -2; Pisauridae -1; Salticidae -3; Tetragnathidae -2; Theridiidae -1; Thomisidae -4; Titanoecidae -3; Zodariidae -2) were registered from three sites in Skopje valley, North Macedonia. Of the registered species, 3 are new for the Macedonian fauna: Hypsosinga sanguinea (C. L. Koch, 1844), Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiaco, 1951) and Zelotes harmeron Levy, 2009. They haven't been recorded before due to the lack of faunistic research of spiders in R. North Macedonia. The araneofauna is classified into 17 zoogeographic categories combined in 4 chorological complexes (widely distributed, European, Mediterranean and endemics). Widely distributed species are dominant (60,56%), followed by European (21,13%), Mediterranean (11,27%) and endemics (7,04%).

Community structure of ground-beetles along altitudinal gradient on a Submediterranean mountain in North Macedonia, bordered with Bulgaria and Greece was studied. The aim was to determine whether altitude influences the distribution and ecology pattern of ground-beetle community.The research was carried out in 14 localities covering the main vegetation types on northern slopes of Belasica Mountain, by using pitfall traps.The ground-beetle fauna consisted of 38 taxa and 7 subfamilies. Species richness and abundance of ground-beetles did not change significantly with increasing altitude and consequently with differences of vegetation type. But, the overall pattern of species diversity and homogeneity showed significant decrease towards higher altitudes indicating disruption of the community stability and presence of unfavorable conditions.This study gives a preliminary analysis of the climatic mechanisms affecting ground beetle communities and indicates possible sensitiveness towards environmental changes along altitudinal gradient on Belasica Mountain.