Determination of Coleoptera (Insecta) species caught by pit and fattening traps in oak areas of Baskil region of Elazığ province and their feeding status

This study was carried out between 2022-2023 to determine the species and feeding status of the Coleoptera fauna, which has the highest species richness among the insect orders, with two different sampling methods (pit and fattening traps) in the oak Quercus infectoria subsp. veneris distribution areas within the borders of Sütlüce Village, Baskil district, Elazığ province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. In the thesis study, it was aimed to determine the species belonging to the Coleoptera order by pit and fattening trap methods and to reveal the feeding status of these species. In the study, 11 Coleoptera species and 2 non-target species were identified by pit trap method and 9 Coleoptera species and 2 non-target species were identified by fat trap method. In the leaf sampling carried out to determine the feeding status of the species, 12 species belonging to different insect orders were identified. Psallus perrisi (Mulsant & Rey, 1852) (Hemiptera: Miridae), Cynips quercus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Typhlocyba quercus (Fabricius, 1777) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), Dictyla echii (Schrank, 1782) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), Hyphantria cunea (Drury, 1773) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), Polydrosus ponticus (Faust 1888) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta (Poda, 1761) (Coloptera: Scarabaeidae), and other species are thought to prefer oak habitat for feeding, predation on pests or feeding on decaying organisms. The results of the study are important in terms of contribution to insect biodiversity in oak areas.