The taxonomic composition and ecological-faunistic  characteristics of the fauna of ground beetles in the  lower reaches of the Zarafshan River were analyzed. 43  species of ground beetles belonging to 28 genera, 19  tribes and 9 subfamilies were identified. The dominant  species are Calathus ambiguus (20.21%), Machozetus lehmanni (17.44%), Harpalus distinguendus (16.23%),  Scarites bucida (7.6%) and Machozetus concinnus (5.35%),  while the subdominant – Scarites terricola (4.32%)  Megacephala euphratica (3.97%), Amara aenea (2.94%),  Amara ovata (2.25%) and Harpulus rubripes (2.07%). The  composition of the carabid fauna consists of two  ecologically sharply different species complexes:  xerophiles (inhabiting desert biotopes) and  mesohygrophiles (inhabiting agrcenoses). Syntomus obscuroguttatus, Harpalus affinis, and Scarites subcylindricus were noted for the fauna of Uzbekistan for  the first time.

The morphometric parameters of Acinopus (Acinopus) laevigatus Ménétriés, 1832 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) were studied and their altitudinal variability was assessed. The length of head is the most variable, and the smallest value of the coefficient of variation is observed for the width of elytra. The length of body parts (head, pronotum, elytra) were more variable compared to their width. The correlation relationship between the morphometric parameters of different parts of the body was analyzed. A high correlation was found between the elytra length (EL) and the total body length (BL) (r=0.93), and the lowest correlation was found between the elytra width (EW) and the pronotum length (PL) (r=0.57). According to all measurement indicators, high-mountain representatives of beetles were inferior to middle-mountain individuals, and the variation in traits was also less. Only the width of the elytra turned out to be more variable in individuals of the highlands. Statistical analysis showed a rather high reliability of the influence of altitudinal belts on the morphometric parameters of beetles for all studied parameters. However, changes in body proportions in different altitudinal zones were not significant, except for the EW/BL index.