New insect species discovered in Balıkesir

BALIKESİR

Three new insect species have been discovered in the Kapıdağ Peninsula and Kaz Mountains in the northwestern province of Balıkesir’s Erdek district.

The insects have been named “karesiensis,” “erdeki” and “tezcani.”

“We give local names when naming the species,” said Sakin Vural Varlı, an academic at Balıkesir University Biology Department. “We try to give names by exchanging ideas with the authorities of the city.

“On our last visit, current Mayor of Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality Yücel Yılmaz was the mayor of Karesi. We promised him, saying: ‘We’ll give the name of Karesi if we find a new insect species,’ and we kept our promise.”

Varlı said that the insects were discovered with window and pit traps after years of observation and investigation in the Kapıdağ Peninsula and Kaz Mountains’ İki Kardeşler and Ayı Creek regions. His research into the new species was part of his doctoral studies started in 2005. His doctoral studies focused on the detection of an insect colony called “saproxylic” in the literature.

Varlı said that the provinces in the Mediterranean and European transition regions have rich flora and fauna.
Researchers looked for new species parallel to the flora, Varlı said.

“This is actually a great work of scientists from 20 different countries. We will continue to find new species. There are three new species that we suspect, and we will present them to the world of science,” he said.

Nicklas Jansson, an ecologist from Linköping University, said that he came from Sweden to investigate possible new insect species. He said he has been researching the saproxylic insect species in Balıkesir for about 15 years.Jansson said the new insect species are an exciting discovery.

“When I compare with where I come from, the flora of Sweden is too weak, but this place is exciting,” he said. “When we compare insect species, we are poor; this place is very rich; there are 18 different species. We can accept it as one of the centers in the world. There are only two types in Sweden. This is a great richness.

Jansson said an old oak tree had a very significant number of the insects.

“These insects do not harm the forest. They live only by eating dead leaves. They do not harm us and leave us a rich space with their assets,” he said.