A faunistic and ecological study on Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea (Lepidoptera) of Sultandağları Mountains (Afyonkarahisar/Turkey)

In this study, the fauna of Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea (Lepidoptera) from Sultandağları Mountains, Afyonkarahisar province, in Turkey were investigated. Field collections were conducted between March and August from 1997 to 2001. Individuals were collected from 110 field surveys. The specimens belonged to 131 species in seven families, including Papilionidae (6 species), Pieridae (17), Libytheidae (1), Argynnidae (21), Satyridae (24), Lycaenidae (45), and Hesperiidae (17). Tomares nesimachus (Oberthür, 1893) was identified for the first time in Afyonkarahisar and fourteen of the 131 species were new records for the Lepidoptera fauna of Sultandağları Mountains.


INTRODUCTION
Today, certain species from Lepidoptera have partially become extinct or are under the risk of extinction due to the factors like environmental pollution in industrial countries, destruction of biotopes, effects of pesticides and the fact that some species have been collected for commercial purposes.Within the context of preserving biodiversity every country has to take the required conservation measures.
This study was conducted to contribute to identification of Sultandağları's diurnal Lepidoptera fauna, to define habitats of the species, to shed light on zoogeographic aspect of the fauna and finally to explore Afyonkarahisar province's biological richness.
The literature relating to Sultandağları's Lepidoptera fauna was reviewed from Koçak and Seven (1994).30 scientific publications in total relating to the subject were reviewed.These faunistic studies include those conducted by Pfeiffer (1926Pfeiffer ( -1927)), Wagner (1929), and Schwingenschuss (1938Schwingenschuss ( , 1939) ) in Sultandağları.Belter (1935) described a new subspecies from Brenthis daphne species collected in the region.Verity (1934Verity ( -1936Verity ( , 1935Verity ( , 1936Verity ( -1937Verity ( , 1937Verity ( -1938) ) recognized and named a couple of geographic variations from the species taking place in certain Satyridae and Lycaenidae families, which had been collected previously in Sultandağları, in his various articles.Lattin (1950) observed some butterfly species collected by Kosswig from various regions of Anatolia including Sultandağları and revised certain species, especially the species of Agrodiaetus, based on the material collected by Forster (1936Forster ( , 1956Forster ( , 1960Forster ( , 1960Forster ( -1961) ) and other various researchers and held in Munich Zoology Museum.In the study, various species and subspecies of Agrodiaetus living around Sultandağları and Akşehir were identified.Schurian and Rose (1991) identified a new subspecies from Lycaenidae species collected from Sultandağları.Hesselbarth et al. (1995) reported the species identified in Sultandağları in their books on butterflies in Turkey.Carbonell (1998) identified Agrodiaetus cilicius species as a result of his study conducted in Toros Mountains and reported that its invasion reaches up to Sultandağları.Steppe Climate".However, local climatic variations exist between the basins of Sultandağları-Akşehir-Eber and especially, in northern and northwestern parts of Sultandağları.Thus, dry steppe climatic characteristics are prevalent in the said areas (Atalay, 1977).

Sultandağları is an extension of Toros
This study was conducted from 1997 to 2001 in Sultandağları, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, to identify its butterfly fauna.110 field surveys were carried out between March to August in different habitat types and ranging in altitude from 1050 to 1900 m (Tables 1  and 2).
Specimens were collected using a sweep net and killed in killing jars with ethyl acetate.Each specimen was put into a labeled envelope and brought to the laboratory to be spread and dried.Identifications were based on the studies of Hesselbarth et al. (1995), Hofmann and Marktanner (1995), Tolman and Lewington (1997), and the author's reference collections.The specimens collected from the study area were taken from different stations during 110 field studies.These stations (Material Examined, Locality No) are chronologically listed in Tables 1 and 2 (Sultandağı and Çay).
Sultandağları Mountains has a rich flora and fauna.The different ecosystems provide multiple habitat types for animals and plants, which may increase diversity.For more thorough sampling, butterflies in Sultandağları were collected at 110 sites in different vegetation types, including agricultural fields and in forests, at altitudes ranging from 1050 to 1900 m and at different times.All these characteristics (locality, vegetation type, altitude, and date) affect biological distributions, especially of the butterflies in this study.
In this study, the Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea faunas in Sultandağları were comprehensively evaluated, compared with previous reports, and updated based on taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in recent years.A total of 131 species belonging to seven families of Lepidoptera were identified.These families and number of species are: Papilionidae (6); Pieridae (17); Libytheidae (1); Argynnidae (16); Satyridae (24); Lycaenidae (45) and Hesperiidae (17).Among these, Tomares nesimachus (Oberthür, 1893), is identified for the first time in Sultandağları Mountains for fauna of the Afyonkarahisar during this study.117 species were previously known from Sultandağları, and the remaining 14 species (indicated with asterisks in Table 2) were new records for the region.In addition, Archon apollinus was also recorded by the author in Centeral Afyonkarahisar on 31 March 2001.
The larvae of some of the species identified in this study can cause economic damage to plants.Among these species Zerynthia deyrollei, Anthocharis cardamines, Euchloe ausonia, Pieris brassicae, Pieris rapae, Pontia edusa, Melanargia larissa, Vanessa cardui, Polyommatus agestis, and Polyommatus icarus have been mostly observed in agricultural areas.P. brassicae and P. rapae feed on cultivated Brassicaceae and are common pests on Brassica oleracea as well as Capparis spinosa (Capparaceae); V. cardui and P. icarus are widespread on Fabaceae, including Lotus, Trifolium, Astragalus, and Medicago; Lampides boeticus feeds on Prunus armeniaca and Pisum sativum (Rosaceae); Iphiclides podalirius feeds on cultivated species such as Prunus spinosa, P. armeniaca, and P. avium; and Leptidea sinapis feeds on Lotus corniculatus in Sultandağları.

Table 1 .
Locations and dates of collections of butterflies in Sultandağı, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.Locality Altitude Collection Date.