Israel Journal of Entomology Vol. XIX (1985) pp. 147-159 147 PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECTS ASSOCIATED WITH CYNAREAE HOSTS (ASTERACEAE) IN JORDAN T.N. PETNEY 1 and H. ZWOLFER 2 1 Tick Research Unit, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, 2 Department of Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, W. Germany ABSTRACT This paper lists phytophagous insects collected or reared from Jordanian species of the Cynareae genera Echinops, Atractylis, Carduus, Cynara, Notobasis, Onopordum, Silybum, Carthamus and Centaurea. We summarize the host range and geographic distribution of the insects recorded and compare the average species richness of the fauna of Cynareae heads in Europe and Jordan. KEY WORDS: Cynareae, phytophagous fauna, host relationships, species richness. INTRODUCTION The Eurasian fauna of the Asteraceae tribe Cynareae has been intensively studied (Batra et al., 1981, Pemberton et al., 1980, Sobhian et al., 1985, Zwolfer, 1965, 1980). The primary object of these studies was to provide candidate insect species for the biological control of Cynareae spp. which have become noxious weeds in North America, Australia, New Zealand and other countries (Schroder, 1980). An outgrowth of these studies was the discovery that thistles and their associated insects could serve as model systems to analyse insect-plant relationships. An interdepartment research project of the University of Bayreuth (SFB 137, "Gesetzmassigkeiten und Steuer- mechanismen des Stoffumsatzes in okologischen Systemen"), financed by the German Research Foundation, enabled us to investigate Jordanian insect-Cynareae complexes, the results of which will be published elsewhere. This paper summarizes the insect-host records gathered by the senior author in Jordan in 1984. We also comment on several weevil and tephritid species encountered in the survey and we compare the Jordanian and the European thistle fauna. All collection localities are from northern Jordan, the southernmost being South Shuna near the northern end of the Dead Sea. With the exception of this site, all collections were made in the western highlands, predominantly in the Mediterranean climatic region. The Cynareae species were identified by Dr. A. El Oglah (Irbid University, Jordan). The phytophagous weevil species were determined according to Ter-Minasyan (1978). The remaining insect species were identified according to the reference

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Israel Journal of Entomology Vol. XIX (1985) pp. 147-159

147

PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECTS ASSOCIATED WITH CYNAREAE HOSTS (ASTERACEAE) IN JORDAN

T.N. PETNEY1 and H. ZWOLFER2

1Tick Research Unit, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, 2Department of Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, W. Germany

ABSTRACT This paper lists phytophagous insects collected or reared from Jordanian species of the Cynareae genera Echinops, Atractylis, Carduus, Cynara, Notobasis, Onopordum, Silybum, Carthamus and Centaurea. We summarize the host range and geographic distribution of the insects recorded and compare the average species richness of the fauna of Cynareae heads in Europe and Jordan. KEY WORDS: Cynareae, phytophagous fauna, host relationships, species richness.

INTRODUCTION

The Eurasian fauna of the Asteraceae tribe Cynareae has been intensively studied (Batra et al., 1981, Pemberton et al., 1980, Sobhian et al., 1985, Zwolfer, 1965, 1980). The primary object of these studies was to provide candidate insect species for the biological control of Cynareae spp. which have become noxious weeds in North America, Australia, New Zealand and other countries (Schroder, 1980). An outgrowth of these studies was the discovery that thistles and their associated insects could serve as model systems to analyse insect-plant relationships. An interdepartment research project of the University of Bayreuth (SFB 137, "Gesetzmassigkeiten und Steuer- mechanismen des Stoffumsatzes in okologischen Systemen"), financed by the German Research Foundation, enabled us to investigate Jordanian insect-Cynareae complexes, the results of which will be published elsewhere. This paper summarizes the insect-host records gathered by the senior author in Jordan in 1984. We also comment on several weevil and tephritid species encountered in the survey and we compare the Jordanian and the European thistle fauna.

All collection localities are from northern Jordan, the southernmost being South Shuna near the northern end of the Dead Sea. With the exception of this site, all collections were made in the western highlands, predominantly in the Mediterranean climatic region.

The Cynareae species were identified by Dr. A. El Oglah (Irbid University, Jordan). The phytophagous weevil species were determined according to Ter-Minasyan (1978). The remaining insect species were identified according to the reference