O. Merkl szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 67. (Budapest, 2006)

were erroneously identified and thus incorrectly cited for this region. Iran lies at the eastern limit of the Western Palaearctic, and recent surveys confirm that its cynipid fauna includes widespread Western Palaearctic species (such as Andricus kollari (HARTIG, 1843) and Cynips quercusfolii (LINNAEUS, 1758), species limited to the eastern part of this region (such as the insana form of Andricus quercustozae (BOSC, 1792), and the newly described Andricus megalucidus MELIKA, STONE, SADEGHI et PUJADE-VlLLAR, 2004 and Aphelonyx persica MELIKA, STONE, SADEGHI et PUJADE-VlLLAR, 2004). Species described in this paper are unknown from Turkey, and may represent regional endemics. The Irano-Turanian centre of endemism covers the interior of Turkey, extending eastwards from the beginning of the Central Anatolian Plateau into NW Iran. The area is very mountainous, and the high plateaus between the mountain ranges receive extreme temperatures and little precipitation. The major vegetation type is treeless steppe, but oaks are a very important component of the sparse deciduous scrub and park-like forest that borders these plateaus, growing to altitudes of over 2000m (CAMUS 1938, 1939, YALTIRIK 1982). In the north, south and west of this region, Q. pubescens, Q. cerris, Q, infectoria ssp. veneris and Q. macranthera predominate, while in the east juniper and deciduous or semi-evergreen oak scrub composed of Q. infectoria ssp. veneris, Q. libani, Q. brantii and Q. pubescens are dominant (Fig. 129). To the east of Turkey, oaks extend northwards into the Caucasus mountains, east into the Talesh and Alborz ranges bordering the southern coast of the Caspian sea, and southwest into the Zagros mountains that stretch towards the Persian Gulf. These areas are very interesting floristically, and the former two areas are thought to have been important réfugia for tree taxa during the Pleistocene (e.g. KING & FERRIS 1998). As in northern Turkey, it is the combination of the maritime influences of the Caspian and Black seas and the proximity of high mountain ranges trapping any moisture that allows the development of verdant deciduous forests. In the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran this forest contains Quercus castaneifolia and Q. petraea ssp. pinnatiloba. The Transcaucasus region (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) contains these two species, Q. petraea ssp. iberica (Iberica is the old name for Georgia) and three of the four subspecies of Q. robur known in the Western Palaearctic. It is likely that there is widespread hybridisation between the two species of section Quercus in the Caucasus, explaining the very high levels of morphological variability (and numbers of varieties and subspecies) that have been reported there (CAMUS 1938, 1939). These two mountain areas meet in the Talesh, and on drier slopes (away from the maritime influence) and higher altitudes a scrub oak Q. macranthera is common. At high altitudes (e.g. over 2000 m) this oak is found alone, while at lower altitudes it forms mixed stands with Q. castaneifolia or