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Alosimus smyrnensis (Izmir’s Oil Beetle / İzmir Yakı Böceği)

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Alosimus smyrnensis (Izmir’s Oil Beetle / İzmir Yakı Böceği)


Alosimus smyrnensis (Izmir’s Oil Beetle / İzmir Yakı Böceği) from Pamukkale, DENİZLİ - 13.04.2010.

The family Meloidae is commonly known as oil or blister beetles. They are generally medium to large-sized (3-35 mm), elongate, soft-bodied, elytra with soft and flexible, pronotum narrower than either the head or the elytra. The Meloidae is one of the most interesting of all Coleoptera families on account of the remarkable biology; hypermetamorphic, that is, the first instar larva (triungulin) is active and campodeiform, while the subsequent larval stages are sedentary and scarabaeiform. The larvae are semi-parasitic predators, usually feeding either in the nests of bees on the larvae and foodstores, or on the egg cases (oothecae) of grasshoppers. Adult meloids are phytophagous, and certain groups, on account of their moderate size and swarming behaviour, can cause considerable damage to crops by feeding on the foliage or flowerheads. Thus, a species may often be beneficial to agriculture as a larva, helping to control grasshopper populations, yet be a pest as an adult. Some sepcies are considered destructive, for their larvae feed on bee eggs and on the food stored in the cells, and the adults feed on plants.

The Meloidae comprise approximately 120 genera and 3000 species, which are widely distributed throughout most regions of the world, especially favouring warmer and drier climates. Adults of many species of Meloidae are destructive pests of a wide variety of ornamental flowers and agricultural crops, including potato, tomato, various leguminous plants, flax, pulses, okra, tabacco, sugarbeet, onion, spinach, pumpkin, mango, citrus fruits and some other crops in various countries. Some species of Meloidae were was reported as pests on various cultivated plants in Turkey. At least 10 species of the genus Alosimus has been reported from Turkey.

Izmir’s Oil Beetle is very common in Aegean Region of Turkey and reported from Izmir, Denizli, Kütahya and Uşak provinces. There is also some sporadic and questionable records from Greece (Parnassus & Rhodes) and Iran.

References: 1. Alosimus Mulsant, 1857 - BioLib. 2. Özbek, H. & Szaloki, D. (1998). A contribution to the knowledge of the Meloidae (Coleoptera)fauna of Turkey along with new records. Turkish Journal of Zoology), 22: 23-40.

Author Bayram GÖÇMEN
Created on Tuesday 13 April 2010
Posted on Friday 04 February 2011
Tags Denizli, TURKEY / TÜRKİYE
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