Munis Entomology & Zoology Mun. Ent. Zool. https://www.munisentzool.org/ 16 (Supplement) 1557 ISSN 1306-3022 (September, 2021) © MRG ___________________________________________________________ LEAF BEETLES OF KAYSERİ PROVINCE WITH NEW AND INTERESTING DATA FOR TURKEY: PART I - SUBFAMILIES DONACIINAE TO GALERUCINAE (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE) Hüseyin Özdikmen* and Didem Coral Şahin** * Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gazi University, 06500 Ankara, TURKEY. Email: [email protected], ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9568-0093 ** Directorate of Plant Protection Central Research Institute, Ankara, TURKEY. E-mail: [email protected], ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4957-940X [Özdikmen, H. & Coral Şahin, D. 2021. Leaf beetles of Kayseri province with new and interesting data for Turkey: Part I - Subfamilies Donaciinae to Galerucinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Munis Entomology & Zoology, 16 (Supplement): 1557-1620] ABSTRACT: The paper presents updated fauna of Donaciinae, Criocerinae, Clytrinae, Cryptocephalinae, Eumolpinae, Chrysomelinae and Galerucinae subfamilies of Kayseri province with new and interesting data. In the present study, a total of 2647 leaf beetle specimens were collected and evaluated from various localities in Kayseri province in 2015- 2019. Accordingly, the current fauna of Kayseri province includes 103 species (including previously known species) of 32 genera belonging to these subfamilies. With the present study, 83 species which 45 of them are also previously known species, are studied and evaluated, thus, the known fauna of Kayseri province was increased 37 percent. A total of 37 taxa which 17 of them are the little-known or rare taxa, are recorded as new to Kayseri province, while 3 species as Donacia kraatzi Weise, Smaragdina judaica (Lefevre) and Nymphius stylifer (Weise) are reported from Central Anatolian region of Turkey for the first time. In addition, Labidostomis korbi Weise, 1902 is objectively recorded for the first time after about 120 years from its original description, and Smaragdina affinis affinis (Illiger, 1794) is recorded for the second time after 46 years from its first record in Turkey. Moreover, a new species and a new subspecies described recently as Hydrothassa anatolica Coral-Şahin & Özdikmen, 2019 and Chrysolina sanguineocincta pinarbasiense Özdikmen, Coral-Şahin & Bal, 2020 were discovered on the bases of the specimens presented in the present study. KEY WORDS: Chrysomeloidea, Chrysomelidae, new data, fauna, Kayseri, Turkey Chrysomelidae family is one of the most important and species-rich families of the order Coleoptera. The Chrysomelidae family is represented by more than 2500 genera and over 38.000 species belonging to 19 subfamilies all over the world (Seeno & Wilcox, 1982). According to estimates, the number of species is thought to be more than 60.000 (Jolivet, 1988; Reid, 1995; Suzuki, 1996). The members of the Chrysomelidae family, which have a worldwide distribution except for the northern polar region (Arctic region), are represented approximately by 560 genera and 3500 species in the Palaearctic region, and 91 genera and 930 species in Turkey (Löbl & Smetana, 2010; Ekiz et al., 2013; Özdikmen et al., 2014). They have become an important subject of agricultural entomology and agroecosystems, since almost all species of the Chrysomelidae family feed on Munis Entomology & Zoology Mun. Ent. Zool. 1558 https://www.munisentzool.org/ 16 (Supplement) ISSN 1306-3022 (September, 2021) © MRG ___________________________________________________________ plants, some of them are cultivar pests and even some of them are quarantine species. The leaf beetle species cause significant damage, especially by feeding on the leaves of plants (Hsiao, 1988). When many species reach high populations, they cause significant crop loss in crop plants. Jolivet et al. (1988) stated that the subfamilies of Criocerinae, Eumalpinae, Galerucinae, Alticinae, Hispinae and Chrysomelinae contain important plant pest species and there are some species cause significant economic losses in these subfamilies. In addition, it is known that species belonging to this family cause damage by carrying diseases apart from their direct damages, and adults and larvae of many species feed on plants and carry bacteria, viruses and fungal diseases (Borror & DeLong, 1966; Kısmalı, 1973; Jolivet et al., 1988; Booth et al., 1990). Potential virus carriers for agricultural products are species belonging to the subfamilies Criocerinae, Chrysomelinae, Alticinae and Galerucinae. The main plant families affected are Fabaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Poaceae and Solanaceae (Gillot, 1995). In addition to their damage, some species of Chrysomelidae family are used as biological control agents in the control of some weeds that are frequently encountered in agricultural areas and cause significant problems (Jolivet et al., 1988; Booth et al., 1990; Aslan, 1994). Turkey is one of the countries with the richest biodiversity. 65 million years ago, when Anatolia began to form, the mountain ranges formed by the compression of the continents made a physical impact on the rapidly spreading flowering plants and insects, causing these creatures to diversify into different species that separated their communities. In addition, in various ground movements and geological processes, especially in the glacial periods in Central and Northern Europe, living things migrated from unfavorable regions and took refuge in Anatolia and diversified in their environment. Thus, Anatolian lands, which are also a shelter for African and Asian species, have become quite rich in terms of species. Turkey, which is the transition point between the north and the south, and also the west and the east, contains 3 different regions that are important in terms of biodiversity: Euro-Siberian, Irano-Turan and Mediterranean from 37 flora regions of the world. Turkey, where three different regions meet in an area that covers a very small part of the world, shows the characteristics of a small continent in terms of biological diversity. In addition to the presence of species belonging to three different flora, the transition areas between these regions constitute areas very rich in terms of endemic and hybrid species. Turkey is the country with the richest flora in the temperate climate zone, with over 10,000 species of natural flowering plants and ferns. One third (34.4%) of its flora consists of endemic species (Özhatay et al., 2003). Since plants are the first step of the food chain and the distribution of insect species is dependent on plants, this information about the plant geography of the region is also very important and guiding in terms of insect biodiversity. In this context, it is important to ensure the awareness of the fauna and to establish a good data infrastructure. The province of Kayseri, which is the study area, is located between 37º45' and 38º18' north latitudes and 34º56' and 36º58' east longitudes (Map 1). Average altitude above sea level is 1150 meters. It is located in the Seyhan and Kızılırmak Basins. The territory of Kayseri province, located in the upper Kızılırmak section of Central Anatolia, is shaped in a fractured-folded structure in the northeast- southwest direction, with three parallel mountain ranges and plateaus and depression basins between them. Heights start from 1050 m and end at 3917 m at Munis Entomology & Zoology Mun. Ent. Zool. https://www.munisentzool.org/ 16 (Supplement) 1559 ISSN 1306-3022 (September, 2021) © MRG ___________________________________________________________ the summit. Erciyes Mountain (3917 m), which is one of the highest mountains in Turkey, has affected the structure of the surrounding plateaus with volcanic eruptions until recently. It is surrounded by Sivas in the east and northeast, Yozgat in the north, Nevşehir in the west, Niğde in the southwest, Adana and Kahramanmaraş in the south. There are 16 districts together with the central district. These counties are; Kocasinan and Melikgazi counties in the city center, and Akkışla, Bünyan, Develi, Felahiye, Hacılar, İncesu, Özvatan, Pınarbaşı, Talas, Sarıoğlan, Sarız, Tomarza, Yahyalı and Yeşilhisar (Map 2A,B). Approximately 20 percent of the provincial area is the area of Pınarbaşı district. This is followed by Develi, Tomarza and Sarız (Uruç, 2005; URL-1, 2016; URL-2, 2019). There are steppe climate characteristics in many parts of Kayseri province. Summers are hot and dry, winters are cold and snowy. In high places, the highland climate prevails. The average temperature in the province is 10.6 °C, the lowest temperature is -32.5 °C, and the highest temperature is 40.7 °C. The altitude is 1054 m (URL-2, 2019). The most important and highest mountain of the province is the Erciyes Mountain, which is 3917 meters high, an extinct cluster volcano with many secondary volcanic peaks on its chest and skirts. Other important mountains are Aladağ (3735 m), Dumanlı Mountains (3024 m), Binboğa (2856 m), Hınzır (2500 m), Bakırdağ (2462 m), Tahtalı (2100 m), Soğanlı (2100 m), Rostan (2100 m), Beydağı (2054 m), Kızılviran (1950 m), Aygörmez (1950 m), Hodul (1937 m) and Koramaz (1900 m). Important natural lakes are Camız lake, Çöl lake, Sarı lake, Yay lake and Tuzla lake. In addition, there are dams and ponds of various sizes. These are Ağcaşar Dam, Akköy, Kovalı, Sarımsaklı and Sel Kapanı Dam, and Efkere, Karakuyu, Şıhlı, Tekir and Zincidere ponds. Kızılırmak is the most important river of the province. 128 kilometers of Kızılırmak river is located within the provincial borders