Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Mar 2016

An annotated list for all species recorded from the territory of Iran during more than a hundred years (1901–2016) of research is given. A checklist of 780 species in 141 genera belonging to 26 subfamilies of Braconidae known from Iran is listed, among them 34 species are exclusive for the Iranian insect fauna. Host and distributional data in Iran are also provided.

In the present study, the Alysiini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) material from Switzerland deposited in the Entomological collection of Natural History Museum London (UK) and Biologiezentrum Linz (Austria) was identified. A total of 56 Alysiini species are catalogued. Thirty-eight species are recorded for the first time for the Swiss fauna. A faunistic list with distribution data is provided.

A faunistic survey was conducted in Ardabil province (North-western Iran), during spring 2013 to study the ichneumonids (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) associated with grasslands in this area. Samplings were carried out by the sweeping net in natural grasslands, neighboring fields and orchards. A total of twelve ichneumonid species belonging to nine genera and five subfamilies were collected and identified. The species were identified as follow: Collyria coxator (Villers, 1789), Diadromus collaris (Gravenhorst, 1829), Diplazon laetatorius (Fabricius, 1781), Diplazon pectoratorius (Gravenhorst, 1829), Homotropus crassicornis (Thomson, 1890), Homotropus elegans (Gravenhorst, 1829), Homotropus signatus (Gravenhorst, 1829), Lysibia nana (Gravenhorst, 1829), Orthocentrus castellanus (Ceballos, 1963), Picrostigeus setiger (Brischke, 1871), Promethes sulcator (Gravenhorst, 1829) and Syrphophilus bizonarius (Gravenhorst, 1829). Homotropus crassicornis is newly recorded for the fauna of Iran. An identification key to the known species of the genus Homotropus Foerster, 1869 from Iran is presented.

The chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) is one of the largest groups of wasps with tremendous morphological, ecological, biological, and taxonomic diversity whose economic importance is being pest natural enemies or plant pests. The unknown chalcid fauna of Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran generated the execution of a faunistic study to elucidate its chalcidoid biodiversity. The material was collected by sweeping and trapping during 2014-2015 from fields, ranges and grasslands. This contribution lists 56 species belonging to 35 genera and 11 families (Agaonidae, Aphelinidae, Chalcididae, Encyrtidae, Eulophidae, Eupelmidae, Eurytomidae, Mymaridae, Pteromalidae, Signiphoridae and Trichogrammatidae). Eupristina saundersi Grandi, 1916 (Agaonidae) and Dirhinus bakeri (Crawford, 1914) (Chalcididae) are new records for the fauna of Iran, while Euplectrus liparidis Ferrière, 1941 and Hemiptarsenus zilahisebessi Erdös, 1951 (Eulophidae), Eupelmus sp. (Eupelmidae) and Mymar taprobanicum (Ward, 1875) and Polynema sp. (Mymaridae) are new for the Khuzestan province fauna.

A field survey of the bee fauna was conducted in the north of Iran during 2009 to 2015. Special concern was given to the tribe Ceratinini (Hymenoptera; Apidae). Ten species of the genus Ceratina were collected and identified in the present study. Three species are recorded for the first time from Iran, including Ceratina (Euceratina) chrysomalla Gerstaecker 1869, Ceratina (Euceratina) cyanea (Kirby, 1802) and Ceratina (Euceratina) gravidula Gerstaecker, 1869. An updated checklist of Iranian Ceratinini with short description and figures of newly recorded species are provided. The host plants and distribution of each species are also given.

This paper provides data on distribution of 13 chalcid wasp species (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Chalcididae) belonging to 9 genera and three subfamilies Chalcidinae, Dirhininae and Haltichellinae from Hormozgan province, southern Iran. All collected species are new records for the province. Two species Dirhinus excavatus Dalman, 1818 and Hockeria bifasciata Walker, 1834 are recorded from Iran for the first time. In the present study, D. excavatus is a new species record for the Palaearctic region. An updated list of all known species of Chalcididae from Iran is also included.

The genus Thrips Linnaeus (Thripidae: Thripinae) is one of the largest groups of thrips in Iran, which include some important pests. Majority species of the genus Thrips are herbivorous living on leaves and flowers on different plant families. In this paper, a key to 31 Iranian Thrips species is provided, along with additional new distribution information of 17 species in Iran.