نشریه تاکسونومی و بیوسیستماتیک
سال سیزدهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 47، تابستان 1400)

Artemisia L. is the largest genus of the Anthemideae tribe and one of the largest genera in the family Asteraceae. Globally, the number of species of this genus has been more than 500 species, of which 34 species have been reported in Iran and 8 species in Isfahan province. The wide distribution of Artemisia species in Iran makes this genus one of the main elements of the Irano-Turanian region. In order to morphologically investigate the genus Artemisia, quantitative and qualitative characters related to reproductive and vegetative structures of this plant were collected in 64 samples. Based on morphological characters resulted from the specimens using GenAlEx 6.5 and NTsys 2.02 software, cluster diagrams and principal component analysis (PCoA) were drawn. In the cluster diagram, the Seriphidium Besser ex Less. Dracunculus Besser Rydb. and Artemisia subgenera were placed in separate clusters and next to each other. The results of the present study showed that some traits such as gender and situation of flowers in the capitulum, indumentum of the stem and receptacle, the situation of petiole at the basal and middle leaves, trichrome on both sides of the leaf surface, and the shape of outer phyllaries and their indumentum have more taxonomic value. Finally, an identification key of the Artemisia species in Isfahan province was provided.

 Female polymorphism is visible in some populations of Odonata species for unknown reasons. In general, one of the female forms which is more or less similar to males is called andromorph. Andromorph females show similar color patterns and sometimes, even some structural and behavioral aspects to the conspecific males, whereas gynochrome females are different from males. One mentioned reason for the existence and survival of this phenomenon in the odonates is the avoidance of male harassment toward females during the breeding season. Males and females of Calopteryx intermedia have sexual dimorphism in the wing shape. It represents differences in flight dynamic models of the two sexes. Therefore, the decrease of harassment of females by males needs mimicry of male’s flight dynamic, but this could be possible with the same wing shape as males but not gynomorph females. The results of the present study revealed that the shape of fore and hindwing of andromorph females were significantly different from males but not gynomorph females. As a result, it seems that andromorph females are not able to mimic the males’ flight and it seems that the andromorph females with a wing spot, approximately the same as that of conspecific males, cannot mislead the males. Thus, we have to seek other places for their existential reason(s) and survival.

A great plant diversity can be observed in Chaharmahal Bakhtiari Province, especially in the protected area of Tang-e Sayad, thus being environmentally important. In this study, the flora of the western part of this region (Dastgerd Mountain) was studied via a field survey in 2016-2017. Once every two weeks, various plants that had reached their full growth were collected together with all their plant organs from the rebellious area. Also, the plants whose flowering and fruiting stages had taken place at different times were gathered. A total of 216 species, which belonged to 35 families and 126 genera, were identified in the study area. Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, and Poaceae with 18, 15, and 13 genera were the largest families present in the region, respectively. Astragalus and Euphorbia were also the largest genera in this region in terms of number of species. Hemicryptophytes were the predominant vegetative form (48.6%) followed by therophytes (36.1%) in the region. Thirty native and 35 medicinal species were additionally reported in the area, respectively. One hundred and seventy species were related to Iran-Turanian elements (74%) as the most abundant corotype in the region. Examination of the collected species showed the presence of 33 less endangered species as well.

Aphids are an important group of agricultural crops pests so that by feeding on the plant sap they cause weakness and reducing the quantity and quality of yields. They also indirectly cause significant damage by transmitting viral pathogens. In this study, we tried to identify different species of aphids and their host plants in different habitats in southern areas of Zagros Mountains. The specimens were collected directly from their host plants from spring 2020 until end of summer 2021. Totally 66 aphid species belonging to 32 genera were identified on 64 host plant species. Amongst, Macrosiphoniella umarovi Narzikulov, 1972 is reported here for the first time from Iran. In addition, 22 species were reported for the first time from Fars province and five species from Kerman province.

Having high economic and ecological values, the family Ephippidae consists of 8 genera and 15 species. The genus Platax has the most diversity with 5 species and is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region. P. orbicularis has been reported from the northern and southern waters of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea. The present study reported a specimen of P. orbicularis from the coast of Persian Gulf and made the COI sequence of this specimen available. Thirty one sequences of 5 congener species, which were available through the GenBank, were used to analyze the molecular progeny of the genus Platax. The results of the current research revealed that P. orbicularis and Plataxteira were categorized in a sister group and P. boersii was classified next to them. Also, P. batavianus and P. pinnatus were identified as sister taxa. Molecular phylogeny was largely consistent with the comparative morphological results of the 5 species of the genus Platax.

The insect fauna of Ilam province is largely unknown. The orthopterans (Insecta: Orthoptera) are usually herbivores and some of them are considered as pests of crops. During 2015-2017, short-horned grasshoppers of Ilam province were collected using standard insect sweeping nets. Species identity determinations were performed using the morphological features of the collected materials through valid identification keys and comparison with type specimens already deposited in the Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum. Consequently, 35 species belonging to 23 genera, from 10 subfamilies and 3 families were listed, of which 34 species were new reports for Ilam province insect fauna: ACRIDIDAE: Acridinae: Acrida bicolor, A. oxycephala, Cyrtacanthacridinae: Anacridium aegyptium, Schistocerca gregaria, Calliptaminae: Calliptamus barbarus, C. coelesyriensis, C. italicus, C. turanicus, Dericorythinae: Dericorys albidula, Eyprepocnemidinae: Heteracris pterosticha, Gomphocerinae: Chorthippus brunneus, Dociostaurus hauensteini, D. maroccanus, Ochrilidia tibialis, Stenohippus xanthus, Oedipodinae: Acrotylus insubricus, Aiolopus thalassinus, Locusta migratoria, Mioscirtus wagneri, Oedipoda miniata, O. caerulescens, Oedaleus senegalensis, Pyrgodera armata, Sphingonotus caerulans, S. savignyi, S. satrapes, S. octofasciatus, S. rubescens, Truxalinae: Truxalis nasuta. PAMPHAGIDAE: Thrinchinae: Asiotmethis limbatus, A. tauricus, Eremopeza reducta, E. soltanii. PYRGOMORPHIDAE: Pyrgomorphinae: Chrotogonus trachypterus, Pyrgomorpha conica. The number of species and genera reported indicates the species richness in the studied area and thus the need for more research to investigate the fauna.