Identification of zygaenidae (lepidoptera) species using molecular and morphological methods in The Eastern Mediterranean Region

Within the scope of this study, the morphology and systematics of Zygaenidae species in the Eastern Mediterranean Region were investigated, the molecular identification of the species was made and phylogenetic tree was created and population dynamics of some species was monitored by using pheromone traps. Sampling was carried out in Adana, Mersin, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Osmaniye provinces between May and September of 2017 and 2018. Thirteen Zygaenidae species, five from the Procridinae subfamily and eight from the Zygaeninae subfamily, were determined by using sweep net, visual control methods and pheromones. These species were Theresimima ampellophaga (Bayle-Barelle, 1808), Adscita (Adscita) obscura (Zeller, 1847), Jordanita (Tremewania) notata (Zeller, 1847), J. (Praviela) anatolica (Naufock, 1929), J. (Solaniterna) subsolana (Staudinger, 1862) (Procridinae), Zygaena (Mesembrynus) diaphana Staudinger, 1887, Z. (M.) graslini Lederer, 1855, Z. (M.) punctum Ochsenheimer, 1808, Z. (Agrumenia) olivieri Boisduval, 1828, Z. (A.) carniolica (Scopoli, 1763), Z. (A.) viciae ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775), Z. (A.) loti ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775), and Z. (Zygaena) filipendulae (Linnaeus, 1758). For pheromone trapping the esters of 2-dodecenoic acid and isomers of 2-butanol were used for Procridinae subfamily, and a range of acetate compounds with (Z)-9-tetradesenyl, (Z)-11-hexadecenyl and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl were used for the Zygaeninae subfamily. Adscita obscura and J. anatolica species were caught with this method. Within the scope of molecular identification studies; phylogenetic tree of 11 identified Zygaenidae species had been created. For this purpose, Qiagen DNeasy and Macherey Nagel Nucleospin insect DNA isolation kits were used in DNA extraction, and more successful results were obtained with the second. Primers that amplify mtCOI and nEF-alpha gene regions were used in PCR analysis. From these two gene regions only mtCOI gene region was succeeded at the species level identification of Zygaenidae.