page_title: Khosrov Forest State Reserve
section_title: Fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Khosrov Forest State Reserve / Fauna
caption_attribution_description: Image of a en:brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
context_page_description: Khosrov Forest State Reserve, is a nature reserve in Ararat Province of Armenia. The reserve is one of the oldest protected areas in the world having a history of about 1700 years. It was founded in the 4th century by the order of Khosrov Kotak, King of Armenia who gave it his name. It was founded to improve the natural climatic conditions of adjacent territories of Artashat – the capital city of Armenia of the given period and the newly established city of Dvin to ensure conservation and enrichment of flora and fauna species; serve as a ground for royal hunting, military exercises and entertainments.
  This area was designated as a state reserve in September 1958 and covers around 23213.5 ha at elevations from 700 to 2800 m above sea level. The Khosrov reserve protects juniper and oak forests from Tertiary Period, arid associations of semi-desert and phrygana landscapes and other Mediterranean relict plant ecosystems as well as the genetic fund of rare animals and plants adapted to the reserve conditions. It also includes wetlands of international importance.
context_section_description: The reserve is well known for its rich diversity of fauna.
  There are over 1500 species of invertebrate fauna found at the reserve including 1427 species of insect, 62 species of molluscs and 3 species of scorpions. The representation of insects at the reserve are from the orders: Odonata, Mantoptera, Phasmoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera.
  Forty-four species of invertebrate animals are included in the Red Book of Animals of Armenia.
  Insects
  The insect fauna in the semi-desert zone is various and relatively rich with endemic species: Armenohelops armeniacus, Melitaea vedica Nekrutenko, Tomares romanovi, Sphenoptera geghardica Kalashian & Zykov, Cryptocephalus araxicola Khnzorian and others.
  In the mountain steppe zone can be found these species: Sympecma paedisca, Cardiophorus pseudo gramineus Mardjanian, Agapanthia korostelevi Danilevsky, Parnassius mnemosyne rjabovi Sheljuzhko, Parnassius mnemosyne, Colias aurorina, Colias chlorocoma, Agrodiaetus huberti Carbonell, Agrodiaetus surakovi Dantchenko & Lukhtanov, Osmia cerinthides F. Morawitz, Bombus armeniacus Radoszkovski, Bombus niveatus Kriechbaumer.
  In the forest zone can be found Papilio alexanor, Maculinea arion zara Jachontov, Hyles hippophaes caucasica, Proserpinus proserpina, Cerambyx cerdo acu minatus Motschulsky and others.
  Scorpions
  Black or fattail scorpions are rare species, and one can find them only in Ararat valley till the elevation of 1000 m above sea level. Yellow and multicolored scorpions go up till the elevation of 1500–2200 m above sea level and prefer light and well conditioned soil.
  Vertebrate animals
  Vertebrate fauna numbers 283 species at the reserve. Out of them more than 58 are registered in the Red Data Book of Armenia and 51 in the IUCN Red List.
  Mammals
  There are 44 mammals species in the territory of the reserve. Mammals of the reserve are represented by Persian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica = P. p. saxicolor), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), wild cat (Felis silvestris), brown bear (Ursus arctos), fox (Vulpes vulpes), badger (Meles meles), gray wolf (Canis lupus), least weasel (Mustela nivalis), European hare (Lepus europaeus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus).
  Persian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica = P. p. saxicolor) is registered in the Red Data Book of Armenia as well as in the IUCN Red list. The leopard is known as a careful animal with good vision, hearing and sense of smell. It is more active especially at night and morning hours.
  The Eurasian lynx is the largest of the four lynx species, ranging in length from 80 to 130 cm and standing 60–75 cm (24–30 in) at the shoulder. The tail measures 11 to 24.5 cm (4.3 to 9.6 in). Males usually weigh from 18 to 30 kg (40 to 66 lb) and females weigh 8 to 21 kg .
  The brown bear is the biggest predator of the reserve. Inhabits arid sparse forests, broadleaf forests, mountain grasslands, subalpine and alpine meadows. Availability of fruits, berries and nuts as the staple food items is an important factor of bear distribution. It feeds on fruits, berries, small animals as well as carrion. Pear, strawberry and especially honey are his favorite food. The brown bear is registered in the Red Data Book of Armenia, as well as in the IUCN Red List.
  In the reserve there are favorable habitats (biotopes) for bezoar goat. This animal inhabited the reserve through the ages. Numerous rock paintings on the territory of the reserve and bezoar goat ornaments of monuments from the Middle Ages are the evidence of its long lasting existence on the territory.
  The bezoar goat got its name thanks to globular hard formations – bezoars, which are formed in its stomach on the basis of something hard in its food, for example, hair. In the past they were used in folk medicine. This animal is also called bearded goat as the males have a long beard. The males have also large sword-shaped horns with well expressed bulges in some place. These animals live in herds and feed on vegetable food. High mountainous rocky slopes divided by deep gorges, rock cav
caption: Drawing of a brook trout from John Treadwell Nichols's Fishes of the Vicinity of New York City (1918)
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