Insecta non gratae: New Distribution Records of Eight Alien Bug (Hemiptera) Species in Turkey with Contributions of Citizen Science

This study is prepared to provide an example for the utility of citizen science in faunistic research, which is becoming popular as a data source, especially for invasive alien species. With the globalization tendency of many living species by human impact, alien species rapidly spread far from their natural distribution range and become invasive in their newly settled ecosystems. Some of these invasive alien species become one of the most important problems for nature. This study focuses on distribution of following eight alien Hemiptera species that have previously been recorded from Turkey: Zelus renardii (Reduviidae), Corythucha arcuata and Corythucha ciliata (Tingidae), Leptoglossus occidentalis (Coreidae), Perillus bioculatus and Halyomorpha halys (Pentatomidae), Stictocephala bisonia (Membracidae) and Metcalfa pruinosa (Flatidae). New distributional and seasonality data for all these species are presented based on observations shared by citizen scientists in the websites Dogalhayat and iNaturalist. New provincial records for each species are given. As a result, it is apparent that citizen science is an important data source, supplies remarkable contribution for increasing the understanding on expansion of invasive alien species as well as providing clear picture on their distribution.

Automated summary

This study serves as an example for the utility of citizen science in faunistic research, particularly for invasive alien species. The findings demonstrate that citizen science is an important data source, providing significant contributions to understanding the expansion of invasive alien species and their distribution.