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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.

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Two species of Cleonyminae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae), Chalcedectus sinaiticus (Masi, 1936) and Notanisus vanharteni Gibson, 2015 were found for the first time in Iran. These species were collected from south of Iran. Notanisus vanharteni was reared on Dorema ammoniacum (D. Don.) and C. sinaiticus was collected by a Malaise trap.

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The species of Notanisus Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae: Cleonyminae) from Iran were revised. Four Palaearctic species are recognized: N. clavatus Bouček, N. oulmesiensis (Delucchi), N. vanharteni Gibson and N. versicolor Walker; including one species with macropterous male and the rests with macropterous females. Of which, N. oulmesiensis and N. versicolor are new records for Iran. The species are briefly described based on available materials, illustrated through macrophotography, and their distributions in Iran was mapped.

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Hemiptarsenus autonomus (Mercet, 1924) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae, Eulophinae) was found for the first time outside of Europe. Studied specimen was collected by a Malaise trap in the north west of Iran, East-Azarbaijan province, Khajeh (46°38'E & 38°09'N). Current record of Hemiptarsenus species of Iran adds up to seven species. These species and their geographical distribution in Iran are listed.

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Caenocrepis arenicola (Thomson, 1878) (Hymenpotera: Pteromalidae) is a new record for Iran. A female specimen of this species was collected from south of Kerman province by sweeping net on Medicago sativa in November 2016. It is egg parasitoid of Pachycerus madidus (Olivier, 1807) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) which distributed in the Palaearctic region. Morphological characteristics and its geographical distribution are presented.
 

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Chalcidoidea play an important role in the biological control of many agricultural pests. The present study determines and compares the diversities of this superfamily in four ecosystems in the Lake Urmia basin. It is the largest hypersaline lake in the world with a large basin of different ecological conditions in northwest Iran. These stations were: Khajeh (K) and Tasuj (T) in Lake Urmia Basin (LUB_in) and Khoda-Afarin (KA) and Tikme-Dash (TD) out of their (LUB_out). Four months of Malaise trapping in these habitats resulted in a total of 512 specimens from 11 families of Chalcidoidea, including 6, 9, 10 and 10 families in K, KA, T and TD, respectively. Maximum abundance was observed in the T station with 192 and the minimum was in the K station with 38. However, the families, Encyrtidae and Chalcididae have maximum abundance in T and KA, respectively. The maximum activity of chalcidoid wasps was observed during June-August. The majority of the species were belonging to the family Mymaridae (25%), in LUB_out habitats peaked at 47 specimens in TD during the sampling period, while the corresponding LUB_in habitats peaked at 40 specimens in T. The two LUB_out habitats had greater community similarity (60%) than found between in and LUB_out habitats (42%) and diversity of chalcidoid wasps in LUB_out was found much more than LUB_in. Biodiversity studies showed that the KA station has the greatest values of diversity, evenness, and richness of Chalcidoidea. This station is located outside of Lake Urmia basin with the warmest and most humid climate and forest ecosystem on the margins of the Aras River.

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Eleven species of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) belonging to Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae, Eriaporidae and Signiphoridae associated with the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) were collected and identified during 2017-2018 from Khuzestan province in the southwestern Iran. Prochiloneurus rex (Girault) (Encyrtidae) is new record for the fauna of Iran. Meanwhile, biological associations of Bothriothorax serratellus (Dalman), Leptomastix dactylopii Howard and L. mayri Özdikmen (Encyrtidae) as parasitoids and Marietta picta (André), P. rex and Chartocerus kurdjumovi (Nikolskaya) (Signiphoridae) as hyperparasitoids of Ph. solenopsis were new.
 

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The genus Harrizia Delucchi, 1962 is represented by a single species, Harrizia mira Delucchi, 1962. This is first record of H. mira from Iran in the border of Eastern Palaearctic region and also the first record of this genus from Asia. The specimens were collected from Sistan-o Baluchestan and Kerman provinces in the South East of Iran. Brief diagnosis and illustrations of H. mira is provided and its distribution is discussed.

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The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury, 1773) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae), is one of the most important pests of forest trees in northern Iran. In order to identify the native parasitoids of this pest a survey was conducted in Guilan province, in 2019. The larvae and pupae of the fall webworm suspected being parasitized, were collected from different host trees and wood piles, and reared under laboratory conditions until the parasitoids emerged. This pest was found parasitized with five species of Hymenoptera, Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841) (Chalcididae), Chouioia cunea Yang, 1989 (Eulophidae), Psychophagus omnivorus (Walker, 1835) (Pteromalidae), Pimpla rufipes Brulle, 1846, Virgichneumon dumeticola (Gravenhorst, 1829) (Ichneumonidae), and four species of Diptera, Compsilura concinnata (Meigen, 1824), Exorista larvarum (Linnaeus, 1758), Pales sp. (Tachinidae), and Megaselia scalaris (Loew, 1866) (Phoridae). Among them six species (e.g., P. rufipes, V. dumeticola, B. lasus, E. larvarum, C. concinnata and Pales sp.) are newly reported as the parasitoids of H. cunea from Iran.

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The monotypic genus Thaumatorymus Ferrière and Novicky, 1954 (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) is endemic of the West Palaearctic subregion. Thaumatorymus notanisoides, a species rarely sampled, is recorded for the first time from Iran, expanding its known distribution range in the subregion. A brief diagnosis, illustrations and geographical distribution are provided.

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The family Chrysolampidae Dalla Torre, 1898 and the genus Chrysomalla Foerster, 1859 (Chalcidoidea, Chrysolampidae, Chrysolampinae) are recorded for the first time from Iran where it was represented by one species, Ch. roseri Foerster, 1859. Studied specimens were collected with sweeping net in three localities: Kerman, South-Khorasan and West-Azarbaijan provinces in the east and northwest of Iran, respectively. A brief diagnosis, with illustrations of the morphological characters and geographical distribution is provided for this species.

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The life table parameters of the parasitoid wasp, Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Hym.: Encyrtidae) were studied at 25, 30, and 35 °C, 65 ± 5% R. H. and 14L: 10D h. Third instar nymphs of Pseudococcus solenopsis Tinesly (Hem.: Pseudococcidae) were used as host for the wasp. Adult longevity and preoviposition period of female wasps were assessed and the raw data were analyzed using the age-stage, two-sex life table. According to the results, the total preovipostion period of females was 17 days at 25 °C and decreased to 13.07 days at 35 °C. The highest and lowest longevity was recorded for females at 25 °C (40.12 days) and males at 35 °C (3.71 days), respectively. The intrinsic rates of increase (r) of A. bambawalei were 0.1192, 0.1599, 0.2142 d^-1 at 25, 30 and 35 °C, respectively. The net reproductive rate (R₀) was calculated to be 38.04, 55.30, and 81.22 eggs/individual at 25, 30 and 35 °C, respectively. The mean generation time (T) of A. bambawalei ranged from 20.52 days at 35 °C to 30.52 days at 25 °C. Our results suggested that A. bambawalei may be a more efficient biological control agent for P. solenopsis at 35 °C than at 25 and 30 °C.

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A new species, Epitranus longicaudatus sp. nov., is described with illustrations from South India, expanding the genus Epitranus Walker to 73 species globally and 18 from India. The new species is compared with the congeneric species E. salinae Narendran, originally described from Malaysia. Both E. longicaudatus sp. nov. and E. salinae are easily identified within the monotypic subfamily in having large metasoma, more than twice as long as petiole and having gastral terga following the first, telescopic and retracted beneath the first. E. salinae is also diagnosed and illustrated using digital images for the first time. These two species complex is the largest of all described Epitranus.

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Prior to this study eight species of Mesopolobus Westwood were recognized from Iran. In this study, one species namely M. aspilus (Walker) is newly recorded. An illustration of the external features of this species is provided. All known species from Iran were reviewed, the key to species and their geographical distribution in Iran is provided.

 

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Through a survey that was conducted in Basrah Province, Southern Iraq in 2021, specimens were collected from alfalfa fields (Medicago sativa L.) using a sweep net. These specimens were identified as Neotrichoporoides Girault, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae), which is a new report of the genus in Iraq. Three species were collected and identified, i.e. Neotrichoporoides basiflavus Li & Li, 2021; N. cavigena Graham, 1987; and N. viridimaculatus (Fullaway, 1955). An illustrated key for identifying Neotrichoporoides species in Iraq and notes on diagnostic characters of the newly recorded species along with illustrations are provided. The distribution map of the Iraqi species is presented. Furthermore, a preliminary checklist of recorded species of Eulophidae from Iraq is provided.

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Two chalcidoid parasitic wasps (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) of two lepidopterous pests on willow trees, Salix spp., were collected in Tehran and Alborz provinces, Iran. Ooencyrtus populicola Myartseva, 1995 (Hym.: Encyrtidae) and Colpoclypeus florus (Walker, 1938) (Hym.: Eulophidae) were reared on Ceruravinula (L., 1758) (Lep.: Notodontidae) and Nycteola asiatica (Krulikovsky, 1904) (Lep.: Nolidae), respectively. Ooencyrtus populicola is a parasitoid of egg and C. florus is an ectoparasitoid of larval stage. Ooencyrtus populicola is a new record for Iran, but C. florus was previously reported as a parasitoid of an unknown leaf-roller larva.