Abstract: Anisoplia species fed on wheat was determined in Tekirdağ province in Turkey. Three Anisoplia species were identified. These were Anisoplia syriaca Burm., Anisoplia austriaca Hbst. and Anispolia flavipennis Brull. Their distribution rates were recorded as 72, 18 and 10% respectively. The most widespread species was A. syriaca in the region.
Introduction
Wheat is the most important field crop grown in Tekirdağ. Anisoplia species are one of the major pests of cereals and they can cause serious damages to yield. 28 Anisoplia species were identified in various parts of Turkey (Lodos, 1989). However there has been no report for their existence in Tekirdağ. Anisoplia species have been found on grain in most countries and biologies have been extensively studied (Burdun et al., 1991; Gutenmaher et al., 1989; Molnar, 1994; Udachin and Kosov, 1989; Zamotailov, 1988). This study was aimed to determine to the Anisoplia species on wheat in Tekirdağ Province in Turkey.
Eight counties of Tekirdağ were defined as subsample units. Three fields were selected in each county. These are Central Tekirdağ, Şarköy, Malkara, Muratlı, Saray, Çerkezköy, Çorlu and Hayrabolu. Anisoplia species were collected at weakly intervals during May and June in 1996-1997 from wheat fields determined previously.
| Table 1: | Anisoplia species and their distribution in Tekirdağ Province in Turkey |
Three Anisoplia species were found in Tekirdağ during the surveys on graminae. These were Anisoplia syriaca Burm., A. austriaca Hbst. and A. flavipennis Brull. (Table 1). Their distribution rates were respectively 66, 25 and 9%. Their densities were not economically important. A. syriaca has been occurred as the most wide spread species in Tekirdağ.
A. agricola Pd. and A. segetum velutina Erich have been found in Marmara region in Turkey (Lodos et al., 1978). A. syriaca, A. austriaca and A. segetum are being the major species of Anisoplia in Turkey (Lodos, 1989). A. austriaca and A. segetum were determined and A. segetum was found to be the most widespread one in Central Anatolian Region (Özkan, 1994). So, the results of investigation reveal that A. syriaca, which is a different major pest, is worth to be focused on in Tekirdağ Province in Thrace Region of Turkey.
Acknowledgments
The author is greatful to Prof. Dr. Esat Pehlivan, Ege University, for the identification of Anisoplia species.