Research on the Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) fauna in Elazığ province (Türkiye)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the fruit fly species (Tephritidae) collected during fieldworks conducted in Elazığ Province between 2022 and 2023, to document the fruit fly fauna of Elazığ Province, and to contribute to the determination of fruit fly diversity in Türkiye.Method: Adult fruit fly specimens were collected from potential host plants using insect nets. The collected specimens were placed in killing bottles, transferred to storage jars, and subsequently examined and identified based on morphological characters at the Entomology Laboratory of the Department of Biology, Gaziantep University.Findings: As a result, 39 species (Acanthiophilus helianthi, Campiglossa bidentis, Cam. producta, Chaetorellia acrolophi, Cha. carthami, Cha. conjuncta, Cha. jaceae, Cha. loricata, Cha. succinae, Ensina sonchi, Euaresta bullans, Myopites apicatus, Orellia falcata, Ore. stictica, Sphenella marginata, Tephritis acanthiophilopsis, Tep. divisa, Tep. fallax, Tep. nigricauda, Tep. postica, Tep. recurrens, Tephritomyia lauta, Terellia gynaecochroma, Ter. luteola, Ter. nigripalpis, Ter. serratulae, Ter. uncinata, Ter. virens, Trupanea amoena, Tru. stellata, Urophora affinis, Uro. aprica, Uro. cuspidata, Uro. jaceana, Uro. mauritanica, Uro. phalolepidis, Uro. quadrifasciata, Uro. solstitialis, Uro. terebrans) belonging to 13 genera were identified.Conclusion: This study expands the existing data on Tephritidae diversity in Turkey and provides a valuable reference for future taxonomic and faunistic studies.