Faunistic Composition, Ecological Properties and Zoogeographical Composition of the Family Elateridae (Coleoptera) of the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey

The focus of this study was to understand the faunistic composition, ecological properties and zoogeographical composition of Elateridae (Coleoptera) of the Central Anatolian region. 72 species belonging to seven subfamilies and 25 genera were identified. The major part of the Elateridae fauna of the Central Anatolian region is formed by the subfamilies Elaterinae and Cardiophorinae. The genus Cardiophorus was the most species-rich genus. The species composition of the Elateridae fauna of the Central Anatolian region is partially consistent with known Elateridae fauna of Turkey. The Central Anatolian region shares most species with the European part of the Western Palaearctic as does the Elateridae fauna of Turkey. Detailed localities of nine species are given for the first time for Turkey, with emphasis on the Central Anatolian region.

Turkey is at the intersection of three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) ( Figure  1) and it was divided into seven geographic regions (three inner regions and four coastal regions) at the first geography congress of Turkey in Ankara in 1941. Geographic regions were determined according to several criteria, including the presence of sea around three sides of Turkey; parallel extension of high mountains to coasts; separation of the middle part of Anatolia from the sea by high mountains thus climatic and floristic differentiations occur between inner parts and coastal parts; and the distribution of agriculture types and transportation systems and house types. The first four of the seven regions determined to be adjacent to the sea are the Black Sea region, Marmara region, Aegean region and Mediterranean region. The other three regions are named according to their location in the whole of Anatolia (Central Anatolian region, Eastern Anatolian region and Southeastern Anatolian region) (www.cografya.gen.tr/egitim/bolgeler/). The Central Anatolian Region ( Figure 2) is one of Turkey s seven geographical regions. The surface area is 151,000 square kilometers and it occupies 20% of Turkey s land area. It High mountains surround the region. Humid and temperate sea air cannot penetrate into the Central Anatolian region, causing the summers to be hot and dry, and winters to be cold and snowy with a dominant continental climate. Elevation increases towards the eastern part of region and winter temperatures decrease to very low values. Precipitation is lowest at the Central Anatolian region of Turkey and it has 7% of all forests of Turkey (www.cografya.gen.tr/egitim/bolgeler/icanadolu.htm).
The main aim of this research was to study the faunistic composition (species distributions of subfamilies and genera), ecological properties of species (abundance and rarity of species, vertical distributions of species, habitat preferences of species and seasonality of species and genera) and the zoogeographical composition of the Elateridae fauna including the faunal relations between the Central Anatolian region and other geographical regions of Turkey.

Faunistic composition of the Central Anatolian Region
As a result of this study, it was found that the major part of the Elateridae fauna of the Central Anatolian region is formed by the subfamilies Elaterinae (27 species; 37.5%) and Cardiophorinae (20 species; 27.8%). These subfamilies are followed by the subfamilies Dendrometrinae (11 species; 15.3%), Negastriinae (6 species; 8.3%), Agrypninae (4 species; 5.5%), Melanotinae (3 species; 4.2%) and Lissominae (1 species; 1.4%) (Figure 3) in species richness. The genus Cardiophorus is the richest genus with 15 species from the Central Anatolian region (Figure 4). The genus Cardiophorus is followed by Agriotes (9 species The numbers of species in genera found in the Central Anatolian region were compared with the known numbers of species in genera of Turkey according to Mertlik and Platia (2008) (  Accordingly, most of the species were collected from interval E with 43 species. This interval is followed by interval F (38 species), interval D (33 species), interval G (24 species), interval C (16 species), interval H (12 species), interval B (6 species), interval I (2 species) and interval A (1 species) ( Figure  5, Table 1). Vertical distributions of species are given in Table 1. Agriotes paludum,  (12 species), under stones and debris near streams (10 species), forest ground herbaceous plants (10 species), decaying trees (Populus spp. and Salix spp.) (eight species), trees and bushes (seven species), light trap (six species). Cardiophorus miniaticollis was collected incidentally inside buildings. Evaluating the collection methods showed that 47 species were collected using insect nets, 30 species using an aspirator, 7 species using the Japanese umbrella, and 6 species using light traps ( Table 1). Adults of most detected species occur on herbaceous plants (near streams, fields, roads and forested ground cover). Most of the rest occur under stones and plants, in decaying trees, under stones and debris near streams. Minor numbers of detected species occur on trees and bushes and nocturnal species, which were collected by using light traps.
Specimens were collected between April -November (21 species in April, 47 in May, 41 in June, 27 in July, 4 in August and 1 in September and November) ( Figure 6). It is apparent from these data that species of Elateridae are mainly active in May and June, and that April and July are secondarily appropriate months for collecting Elateridae. The species showed minimum activity in August, September, October and November. Collecting periods of species exhibit differences: four species collected only in April (5.6%), 12 species in May (16.7%), six species in June (8.3%), seven species in July (9.7%), three species in April and May (4.2%), one species in April and June (1.4%), five species in April, May and June (6.9%), five species in April, May, June and July (6.9%), two species in April, May and July (2.8%), 14 species in May and June (19.4%), five species in May, June and July (6.9%); two species in June and July (2.8%), one species in June, July and August (1.4%), three species in July and August (4.2%) and 1 species in April, May, June, July, September and November (1.4%) ( Figure 5). Numbers of species varied by month: 29 species were collected for one month, 24 species were collected for two months, eight species were collected for three months, five species were collected for four months and one species (Drasterius bimaculatus) was collected for six months. These data help to estimate the occurrence of the species in nature. Drasterius bimaculatus occurs for the longest time in nature followed by Agriotes paludum, Agriotes proximus, Agriotes sputator, Cardiophorus dolini and Synaptus filiformis. As a result of evaluations of active periods of genera, which are represented more than one species, species of the genus Adrastus were collected during May-July; species of the genus Agriotes were collected during April-July; species of the genus Ampedus were collected during April-June; species of the genus Athous were collected during April-July; species of the genus Cardiophorus were collected during April-July; species of the genus Dicronychus were collected during April-June; species of the genus Hemicrepidius were collected during June-July; species of the genus Melanotus were collected during July-August; species of the genus Peripontius were collected during April-July; species of the genus Prosternon were collected during June-August; species of the genus Selatosomus were collected during May-June; species of the genus Zorochros were collected during April-May. These data may help understanding phenologies of these genera (Table 1).

Zoogeographical composition of fauna
As a result of the evaluations of distributions of detected species in zoogeographical regions and subregions (Figure 7, Table 2), it is evident that 11 species are endemic to Turkey. The remaining 61 species are shared differently with the European part of the Western Palaearctic (53 species), the Middle East (46 species), Middle Asia (25 species), Siberia (12 species), North Africa (nine species), the Far East (seven species), Nearctic region (two species) and the Australian region (one species). This composition shows that the geographical situation of Turkey, at the intersection of Asia, Africa and Europe, affects its fauna. Research area shares most species with the European part of the Western Palaearctic and, subsequently, Asia (Middle Asia, the Middle East, Siberia and the Far East). Because most of Turkey is a part of Asia, that situation may be evaluated as contradictory. However, Cate (2007) reported that the Elateridae fauna of Turkey share the most species with the European part of the Western Palaearctic region (223 species): Asia (194 species), followed by North Africa (29 species), Nearctic region (6 species), Afrotropical region (one species), the Australian region (one species) and Neotropical region (one species). Cate s (2007) (32 species), Aegean region (29 species), Marmara region (19 species) and the Southeastern Anatolian region (11 species) (Figure 8). Various researchers have previously recorded 38 species from the studied area. During this research, field studies were done following the political borders of provinces, and not the geographical border of the Central Anatolian region. The borders of geographical regions of Turkey were determined according to geographical, floristic and climatic features, but some parts of the provinces of the research area are situated in other geographical regions. As a result, species sharing data of the Central Anatolian and other geographical regions may be affected by that situation. like to thank Dr. Giuseppe Platia for checking the identification of species. We also would like to thank Yavuz Turan and Fatih Ergan for valuable help during field studies. Mertlik J, Du ánek V. 2006. Description of five new species of click-beetles (Coleoptera, Elateridae) from the Palaearctic region with remarks about the discributions 22 additional species. Folia Heyrovskyana 13(4): 145-162. Mertlik J, Platia G. 2008. Catalogue of the family Cebrionidae, Elateridae, Lissomidae, Melasidae and Throscidae (Coleoptera) from Turkey. Elateridarium ro ník 2: 1-40.      (Cate, 2007). High quality figures are available online.