Identification, distribution and host-plant associations of seed-feeding wasps (Hymenopera: Eurytomidae) of some rangelands in the central and southern Iran

Several species of chalcid wasps of the family Eurytomidae feed on seeds of various pasture plants. Due to a high damage caused to seeds by some eurytomid species, plants settlement are diminished in the pastures. This study was carried out during 2015-2017.Plant seeds were collected from 4 provinces of Iran including: Fars, Isfahan, Bushehr and Chaharmahal – Bakhtiyari. Studied plant species were belonged to the families Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae and Asteraceae. Totally, 16 eurytomid species were identified among 405 reared specimens. The list of identified wasps includes 13 species of Bruchophagus, one species of Eurytoma, one species of Exeurytoma and one species from Systole. Species identification was done on the base of adult external morphology and host plants. Moreover, 27 plant species are firstly indicated here as host plants of Eurytomidae wasps.Collected and identified species of Eurytomidae are as following: Brochophagous abnormis Zerova, 1984, B. astragali Fedoseeva, 1954, B. desertus Zerova, 1994, B. evolans szelenyi, 1961, B. glycyrrhizae (Nikolskaya, 1952), B. kononovae Zerova, 1994, B. macronycis Fedoseeva, 1956, B. medicaginis Zerova, 1992, B. mutabilis (Nikolskaya, 1952), B.‌ononis (Mayr, 1878), B. platypterus (Walker, 1834),B. roddi (Gussakovsky, 1933), B. trigonellae (Zerova, 1970), *Exeurytoma anatolica Cam, 1998, Eurytoma onobrychidis Nikol’skaya, 1933, Systole prangicola Zerova, 1972.