_____________Mun. Ent. Zool. Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2008__________ 177 A CONTRIBUTION TO FAUNA OF TURKISH NEUROPTERAN INSECTS FROM ARDAHAN, IGDIR AND KARS PROVINCES (INSECTA: NEUROPTERA) İsmail Arı*, Metin Aktaş** and Suat Kıyak** * Kafkas University, Arts and Sciences Faculty, Biology Department, Kars / TURKEY.
[email protected] ** Gazi University, Arts and Sciences Faculty, Biology Department, Ankara / TURKEY. [Arı, İ., Aktaş, M. & Kıyak, S. 2008. A contribution to fauna of Turkish Neuropteran insects from Ardahan, Iğdır and Kars provinces (Insecta: Neuroptera). Munis Entomology & Zoology 3 (1): 177-184] ABSTRACT: This study is based on 176 specimens belonging to 18 species of 11 genera of 5 families of the order Neuroptera, and these insects were collected from Ardahan, Iğdır, and Kars provinces between years 2001 and 2003. Distribution of each species in Turkey and in the world has also been presented. KEY WORDS: Distribution, fauna, Turkey, Ascalaphidae, Hemerobiidae, Mantispidae, Nemopteridae, Neuroptera. Studies of Turkish neuropteran fauna have not yet been completed. It needs to be studied more comprehensively. It has hitherto been studied in the western parts of the country, however, the eastern parts of Turkey have rarely been studied (Hagen, 1860, 1863; Navas, 1910, 1926; Esben- Petersen, 1932; Hölzel, 1968; Gepp, 1974; Monserrat and Hölzel, 1978; Şengonca, 1979, 1980b, 1981; Makarkin, 1990; Sziraki, 1998; Kacirek, 1998; Arı and Kıyak, 2000, 2003; Aspöck, et al., 1980, 2001). It can be expected that Turkish Neuropteran species numbers can increase if it is studied in detail. The region resolved to be studied on neuropteran insect fauna is situated in the North–Easthern parts of Turkey, and any work dealing with the fauna of neuropteran insects has not been fulfilled.