ABSTRACT

In the present study, the first report on the distribution of Nosema chaetocnemae infection of Chaetocnema tibialis populations in Turkey is given. Of the 1751 beetles collected from ten provinces, 193 were infected by the parasite. The infection average was 11.02% in Turkey. Nosema infection was found in C. tibialis adults from two (Samsun and Trabzon) of the ten provinces studied. In eight localities in different regions of Turkey, the infection was not observed. The highest percentage of beetles infected with a Nosema isolate was recorded in Samsun. The infection average in Samsun was 25.20%. The results showed that the infection level of N. chaetocnemae was relatively stable during the observation period between the years 2000-2006.

Keywords: Microsporidia, parasite, distribution, Nosema chaetocnemae, Chaetocnema tibialis