An updated check-list of caddisflies (Insecta,Trichoptera) from Iran,with new records

Abstract

A list of the known species of Trichoptera from Iran is given. Since MALICKY (1986), Hydroptila astraia, H.asteria, Chimarra zagrosensis and Hydropsyche iokaste has been newly described from Iran. New records for the country are Ithytrichia clavata, Pseudoneureclipsis graograman, Hydropsyche bitlis, Micropterna hatatitla and Adicella hakkariensis. The species Hydroptila simulans and Hydropsyche pellucidula could not be confirmed for the fauna of Iran.     

Bees of the subfamily Nomiinae (hymenoptera: halictidae) in Russia and adjacent countries: an annotated list

Results of the study of over 10 thousand specimens of Nomiinae, mostly from the collection of the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). Two new synonyms are ascertained: Nomia inermis Morawitz, 1894 = Nomia orientana Warncke, 1976, syn. n. = Pseudapis guichardi Pauly, 1990, syn. n. The lectotypes of the following nominal taxa of the species group are designated: Nomia areocincta var. turcomanica Radoszkowski, N. edentata ssp. elengantissima Popov, N. inermis Morawitz, N. latipes Morawitz, N. squamata Morawitz, and N. tadzhica Popov. Distribution ranges of 11 species are significantly extended owing to the new material examined: Pseudapis elegantissima (Popov) are recorded from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan for the first time; Pseudapis inermis (Morawitz), from Georgia; Nomiapis armata (Olivier), N. equestris (Gerstäcker), Pseudapis bytinski (Warncke), and P. edentata (Morawitz), from Azerbaijan; Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and Pseudapis rufescens (Morawitz), from Kazakhstan; Nomiapis bispinosa (Brullé), from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrghyzstan; N. squamata (Morawitz), from Kyrghyzstan and Iran; N. femoralis (Pallas), from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. An annotated list of 26 species of Nomiinae provided with data on their synonymy and distribution is given.     

Bees of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rophites</Emphasis> Spinola (Hymenoptera,Halictidae, Rophitinae) of Russia and adjacent territories

An illustrated key to Rophites species and an annotated list of 9 species from Russia and adjacent territories are given. Rophites clypealis stepposus subsp. n. and the female of R. schoenitzeri Dubitzky, 2004 are described. Lectotypes of Rhophites caucasicus Morawitz, 1876 and Rh. mandibularis Morawitz, 1891 are designated. Rophites algirus is recorded for the first time from Armenia; R. caucasicus, from Azerbaijan; R. clypealis, from Bulgaria, Russia, and Kazakhstan; R. foveolatus, from Georgia; R. quinquespinosus, from Armenia and Uzbekistan; R. schoenitzeri, from Azerbaijan and Iran.     

Nesting Biology of the Bee Hoplitis princeps (Morawitz) (Hymenoptera,Megachilidae) in Crimea

Bionomics of Hoplitis princeps (Morawitz) was studied in Crimea. The species is confined to coastal psammophytic habitats and has one generation per year. Females nest in sand and excavate burrows near roots of various plants. The nests consist of 1 or rarely 2 cells arranged either side by side or one by one; one nest with 3 cells made by two different females was also discovered. The building material was masticated leaves of Astragalus varius subsp. eupatoricus Sytin; the provision was pollen and nectar from the same plant species. The cleptoparasitic bee Stelis aculeata Morawitz was discovered in the nests. The differences in the nest structure between H. princeps and a closely related species H. fulva (Eversmann) are discussed. The need for conservation of the H. princeps habitat in Crimea is substantiated.

     

Frasnian bryozoans (Late Devonian) from the Khoshyeilagh Section,Alborz Mountains (northern Iran)

A bryozoan fauna containing seven species is described from the Upper Frasnian (Upper Devonian) rocks in the Khoshyeilagh Section, Alborz Mountains (northern Iran). The studied bryozoan assemblage includes one new trepostome species, Eridotrypella alborzensis sp. nov., an additional four species identified at species level: two trepostomes, Minussina akkayaensis Volkova, 1974 and Leptotrypella inaudita Morozova, 1961, and two rhabdomesine cryptostomes, Bigeyella mariae (Morozova, 1961) and Saffordotaxis multispinata (Morozova, 1955). Furthermore, two species are described in open nomenclature: the trepostome Schulgina sp. and the rhabdomesine cryptostome Nicklesopora sp. The studied fauna shows a close similarity at the species level between northern Iran and the Altai-Sayan Folded Belt (Russia), south China, and Transcaucasia.     

Eucoptocnemis tischendorfi (Püngeler) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae): New record for Iran with description of female of Brachygalea miskoi Ronkay (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Oncocnemidinae)

A noctuid species, Eucoptocnemis tischendorfi (Püngeler, 1915) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is first reported for the fauna of Iran and the female of Brachygalea miskoi Ronkay, 1997 is first described. Adults including genitalia of both species are illustrated.     

Re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of sand boas of the genus Eryx (Daudin, 1803) (Serpentes: Boidae) in north-eastern Iran using sequences of the mitochondrial genome

The sand boas of the genus Eryx (Daudin, 1803) comprise four species in northe-astern Iran: E. tataricus (Lichtenstein, 1823), E. miliaris (Pallas, 1773), E. elegans (Gray, 1849), and E. jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758). Based on a morphological study of the Eryx species in the area, a high similarity between E. tataricus and E. miliaris on the one side, and E. jaculus and E. elegans on the other side has been well documented, so that they are hardly distinguishable from each other. We analysed sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 29 individuals of morphotypes of this species complex in north-eastern Iran to clarify the phylogenetic relationships. Based on the branch pattern of the phylogenetic trees, the amounts of genetic distances within and between major clades and considering the morphological data, we concluded that the traditional grouping of species within the genus Eryx in north-eastern Iran should be fundamentally revised. We believe that E. elegans is conspecific with E. jaculus, and E. tataricus is conspecific with E. miliaris. Considering the principle of priority, the north-eastern populations of Eryx in Iran should be classified into only two distinct species: E. jaculus and E. miliaris.     

A review of the species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Elasmus</Emphasis> Westwood (Hymenoptera,Eulophidae) from Russia and neighboring countries

Five species of Elasmus are described from Russia as new to science (E. altaicus sp. n., E. ekaterinae sp. n. and E. maritimus sp. n.), Turkmenistan (E. turkmenicus sp. n.), and Mongolia (E. emeljanovi sp. n.). E. nikolskayae Myartseva et Dzhanokmen, 1989 is redescribed. Elasmus obesoceratus Trjapitzin, 1979 is downgraded to a synonym to Elasmus rufiventris Ferrière, 1947. Sixteen species are recorded for the first time for the fauna of Russia, six for Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, five for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, four for Ukraine and Mongolia, two for Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, China, and South Korea, and also new single records are given for Poland, Slovakia, Abkhazia, Afghanistan, and Iran. New hosts are recorded for seven species: E. flabellatus Fonsocolombe, E. longiclava Graham, E. nudus (Nees), E. platyedrae Ferrière, E. schmitti Ruschka, E. steffani Viggiani, and E. westwoodi Giraud. A key to twenty-six species of Elasmus is compiled.     

Parasitoids of the ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Iran: an update

Summary

Over the past few decades, many records of the parasitoids parasitizing Coccinellidae have been reported from Iran. Some of them, presented in hard to access conference proceedings, theses, older books and journal articles, were then inaccurately quoted in other papers. Furthermore, some other records were subsequently considered misidentifications and the corrected identity of the parasitoids was proposed in later published papers. Due to the accumulation of that misleading information, we decided to gather and critically evaluate all available Iranian data on the parasitoids of Coccinellidae. To the review presented here we also added new data on the parasitism of Coccinella septempunctata L. by a braconid Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank) in the Lorestan province and on the parasitism of Hyperaspis pseudopustulata Mulsant by an encyrtid Homalotylus flaminius (Dalman) in the Kermanshah province. Hyperaspis pseudopustulata is a new host for H. flaminius, and is also a species new to the fauna of Iran. Altogether, our review revealed one species of dipteran and 16 species of hymenopteran parasitoids associated with Coccinellidae in Iran. The identity of some of those species, however, seems uncertain and should be re-examined.     

Lower Permian Bryozoa of the Jamal Formation from Bagh-e Vang (Shotori Mountains,northeast Iran)

Lower Permian Bryozoan fauna of Jamal Formation, exposed in Bagh-e Vang (Shotori Mountains, northeast Iran) includes six species. Three species – Streblotrypa (Streblascopora) marmionensis (Etheridge 1926), Rhabdomeson bispinosum (Crockford 1944) and Alternifenestella kungurensis (Stuckenberg 1898) – indicate the Lower Permian (Artinskian to Kungurian) age of the formation. Three additional taxa – Fistulipora sp. 1, Fistulipora sp. 2 and undetermined timanodictyid bryozoan ?Timanodictya sp. could not be identified at the species level. The investigated fauna refers to Uralian and Australian palaeobiogeographic provinces.     

The fauna of digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae,Crabronidae) of Altai territory and the Republic of Altai

229 species of digger wasps from the families Sphecidae (13) and Crabronidae (216) were found in Altai Territory and the Republic of Altai. Five species are recorded for the first time for Russia: Podalonia alpina (Kohl), Spilomena differens Blüthgen, S. enslini Blüthgen, Ammoplanus serratus Tsuneki, and A. transcaspicus Gussakovskij; 36 species are recorded for the first time for West Siberia: Entomosericus kaufmani Radoszkowski, Mimesa crassipes A. Costa, Psenulus schencki (Tournier), Diodontus medius Dahlbom, D. minutus (Fabricius), Stigmus solskyi A. Morawitz, Astata jucunda Pulawski, Tachysphex latifrons Kohl, T. nitidus (Spinola), T. obscuripennis (Schenck), Nitela borealis Valkeila, Trypoxylon attenuatum F. Smith, T. deceptorium Antropov, Oxybelus aurantiacus Mocsáry, Lindenius ibex Kohl, L. parkanensis Zavadil, Crossocerus acanthophorus (Kohl), C. distinguendus (A. Morawitz), C. ovalis Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau et Brullé, Ectemnius rugifer (Dahlbom), Lestica pluschtschevskyi (F. Morawitz), Bembix bidentata Vander Linden, B. oculata Panzer, B. pallida Radoszkowski, Gorytes albidulus (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau), G. procrustes Handlirsch, Sphecius antennatus (Klug), Bracystegus scalaris (Illiger), Philanthinus quatuordecimpunctatus (F. Morawitz), Cerceris albicolor Shestakov, C. angustirostris Shestakov, C. bracteata Eversmann, C. eryngii Marquet, C. fodiens Eversmann, C. impercepta de Beaumond, C. quadricincta (Panzer), and C. scutifera Shestakov.     

Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran

Wide ranging surveys of the ant fauna of Iran have enabled us to add a further 30 named species to the country list. A review of almost all the published literature and of photographs of unidentified specimens within the public domain gives a grand total of 248 species, from seven subfamilies and 37 genera. In the majority of instances, our own specimens were compared with type images available from antweb.com. This has led us to propose new or revised status for Cataglyphis turcomanica Crawley 1920, Lepisiota integrisquama (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929), Lepisiota surchanica (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929) and Messor obscurior Crawley 1920. We note that the total includes a number of what may be misidentifications and a small number of named species that seem unlikely to occur in Iran.     

Biostratigraphy of the Peri-Gondwana Cambrian trilobite fauna (northern Kerman,Iran) and correlation with other countries

Polymeroid trilobite fauna from two stratigraphic sections (Godbondar and Kuhbanan) of the Kuhbanan Formation in northern Kerman (central Iran) were studied and subjected to biostratigraphic analysis. Eleven genera and species are recognised from the latest Early Cambrian and Middle Cambrian Peri-Gondwanian successions of the study sections. The recognised fauna includes Afghanocare lategenatum, Blountia blountia, Iranoleesia sp., Iranoleesia pisiformis, Kermanella kuhbananensis, Kermanella lata lata, Kermanella lata minuta, Kermanella sp., Redlichia chinensis, Redlichia noetlingi and Redlichia sp. Based on trilobite distribution, three trilobite biozones were recognised in the study sections, namely Redlichia noetlingi biozone, Kermanella kuhbananensis biozone and Iranoleesia pisiformis biozone. The age of the study sections is late Early Cambrian to late Middle Cambrian based on the recognised trilobite biozones. The recognised late Early Cambrian trilobite assemblages (especially Redlichia and Kermanella) from northern Kerman are similar to those found from some other parts of Gondwana or Peri-Gondwana terrains (north India, Pakistan, northwestern Kashmir, Tajikistan, South Australia, South China and Afghanistan) and show affinities with fauna found in some other parts of Iran (Alborz, northern Iran; Tabas, eastern Iran; southeast Karman).     

New and known species of Dactylogyrus Diesing, 1850 (Monogenea,Dactylogyridae) from Iranian freshwater cyprinid fishes

Three new Dactylogyrus species, D. rectotrabus n. sp. and D. acinacus n. sp. from Garra rufa plus D. carassobarbi n. sp. from Carassobarbus luteus are described from River Dez (Persian Gulf Basin) of Iran. Three known species, D. haplogonus from Rutilus frisii kutum, D. chalcalburni from Alburnus alburnus and Alburnoides bipunctatus, and D. pavlovskyi from Barbus sharpeyi are recorded from the Rivers Sefid (Caspian Basin), Zayandeh (Central Iran) and Dez (Tigris-Euphrates Basin), respectively. Comments on the monogenean fauna of Iranian freshwater fishes are presented.     

A new species of Onychopterochelius Blüthgen (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from Turkey

Onychopterocheilus sarikamisensis sp. n. is described and illustrated from eastern Turkey. The species is related to O. hellenicus (Morawitz, 1885) but differs by the shape of the clypeus and antennae, and by the pale colouration of the maculations.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A3E75353-EC16-458F-908FAB9240E8016B     

A new species of the genus Herina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 from Iran and Turkey (Diptera: Ulidiidae)

A hitherto unknown species of the dipteran family Ulidiidae is described from Iran and Turkey: Herina rajabii n. sp. is similar to H. gyrans (Loew) and H. tristis (Meigen), differing from them by the yellowish-brown scutellum and presence of a very strong subcercal prensiseta on the surstylus. A key to the species of the Herina tristis-group of species is provided.     

An introduction to Iranian Collembola (Hexapoda): an?update to the species list

The Collembola fauna of Iran is little known and no comprehensive examination of this group of Hexapoda is available for this region. The only notable work on Collembola was carried out by Cox (1982). Recently, studies on the Collembola fauna have started in several regions. In this paper, publications by different researchers are documented and the species that have been found in different regions of Iran until January 2013 are listed. At present, 112 species, belonging to 18 families and 57 genera are known from Iran.     

Molecular confirmation of the occurrence of Elysia cf. tomentosa (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) in the Persian Gulf

The molluscan fauna of the Persian Gulf has recently been relatively well documented, yet there are few records of heterobranch sea slugs (opisthobranchs) from the Arabian parts and no report from the Iranian waters. Here we report for the first time the occurrence of one of these molluscs in the northern Persian Gulf (Bandar Abbas, Iran). Sacoglossan specimens were collected in association with the seaweed, Caulerpa sertularioides. Since morphological attributes were not adequately reliable for species identification, molecular approaches were carried out. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian Inference analysis of partial DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) locus were used for DNA barcoding of large-bodied specimens of Elysia. All Persian Gulf specimens were genetically confirmed as Elysia cf. tomentosa sp. 5, one of at least five morphologically similar but genetically distinct species in the taxonomically challenging and unresolved E. tomentosa complex. This species has previously been recorded only from Australia and Thailand and our finding adds another distant point to the geographic distribution of this species.