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During the study of butterflies of Bangladesh (Insecta: Lepidoptera) which carried out since June 2014 to March 2016, several expeditions were made by the authors in the different areas of Bangladesh and many butterfly species were collected and identified. Among them, five species namely, Zezius chrysomallus Hübner, 1823, Rapala tara de Niceville, 1988, Cethosia biblis Fruhstorfer, 1912 and Atrophaneura coon Fabricius, 1793, Cephren estrichopepla Lowe, 1908; and one subspecies, Pelopidas subochracea subochracea Moore, 1878 are newly reported for the fauna of Bangladesh and their distribution data are presented. This study was achieved with an aim to update the checklist of butterflies of Bangladesh. The previous sampling gaps in some areas of Bangladesh indicated by these newly reported species which may put forward further investigations on the butterflies of this country.

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The subfamily Microgastrinae Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea, Braconidae) is a challenging and the most diverse groups of braconids that has significant importance in biological control programs. They are koinobiont endoparasitoids of lepidopteran larvae and generally attack and develop in early instars and exit from the host larvae to pupate. In current paper, the findings of primary taxonomic investigations on these valuable biocontrol agents is presented and for each genus, the general habitus of a represented species is illustrated. Also, the proportion of known hosts for some genera was provided. The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary information of the Microgastrinae in Iran to serve as a starting point for future studies on the group and to encourage further study of more species in other regions of Iran, on various aspects of taxonomic, ecological, host associations, conservation, DNA barcoding and bio-control.

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Effects of four vegetable host plants, artichoke, cabbage, potato and tomato on nutritional indices of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lep.: Noctuidae), were studied under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% RH, with a 16: 8 L: D photoperiod). Fourth instar reared on tomato showed the highest approximate digestibility (AD) (90.406 ± 1.125%) and efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) (30.249 ± 4.128%). The highest values of efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) and ECI of fifth instars (38.663 ± 4.34 and 20.083 ± 1.581%, respectively) were on artichoke and the lowest of both values on cabbage (ECD: 6.314 ± 1.128 and ECI: 5.448 ± 1.052%).The 3^rd to 6^th instars as a whole showed the highest ECD and ECI values on tomato (23.412 ± 2.252 and 19.845 ± 1.798%, respectively). However, the highest and lowest values of consumption index (CI) were on cabbage (33.943 ± 2.669) and tomato (6.145 ± 0.578). The highest values of relative consumption rate (RCR) and (AD) were obtained on cabbage (1.49 ± 0.109 mg/mg/day and 86.431 ± 1.141%, respectively). The results of nutritional indices and the cluster analysis indicate that tomato was nutritionally the most suitable food for S. littoralis.
 

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The Chinese species, Lophoptera trigonoprocessa Qi & Xue, 2011 is reported for the first time from India. Apart from this, L. squammigera Guenée, 1852 and L. illucida (Walker, 1865) are illustrated from the Indian region. Images of the adults and genitalia are provided. A checklist of all the known species of the genus from India is also provided.

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The tribe Orthosiini Guenée, 1837, one of the six tribes of Hadeninae subfamily is represented by 17 genera worldwide. Of those, three genera including Orthosia Ochsenheimer, 1816, Perigrapha Lederer, 1857 and Egira Duponchel, 1845 have recorded in Iran. Here, we present a Catalogue of Orthosiini of Iran including 15 species of this tribe with their provincial distribution in Iran. Identification keys for the Iranian species are provided as well. Perigrapha cilissa Püngeler, 1917 is recorded for the first time from Iran. The external and genital characteristics of the newly recorded species are given, beside the illustrations of the adults and their genitalia.

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The present study was carried out to reveal the checklist of butterfly species in the Tadoba National Park, Chandrapur area of 623 sq. km. Study was carried out from 2011 to 2021. A total of 134 species were recorded, with an addition of 27 new records for Tadoba National Park. Of the total, 60 species were very common, 34 species were common, 9 were frequent common, 19 were rare, and 12 were very rare. Most of the butterflies recorded belong to the Nymphalidae (43 species) with 4 new records. Of Lycaenidae, 41 species with 12 new records. In Pieridae 19 species with 3 new records were recorded. A total of 20 Hesperiidae species with 6 new records and 10 species were recorded from the Papilionidae with 2 new records and one species recorded from the family Riodinidae. About 12 species of the recorded ones come under the protection category of the Indian Wild Life protection Act 1972. The study provided an updated list of butterflies of Tadoba National Park.

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The book "Lepidoptera Iranica" is a comprehensive and meticulously researched publication that explores the butterfly and moth fauna of Iran. Edited by Hossein Rajaei and Ole Karsholt, the book includes contributions from seventy-three Iranian and international researchers over 13 years. The book provides a historical review of lepidopterology in Iran and discusses the general patterns of Lepidoptera fauna in the country. It also estimates the number of Lepidoptera species waiting to be discovered in Iran and includes a gazetteer of elusive localities of Iranian Lepidoptera records. The final chapter is a comprehensive catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Iran, including a checklist of all 4,812 known species, as well as information and notes on their taxonomy, distribution, and biology. The book serves as an important tool for scholars, preservationists, and enthusiasts, and highlights the importance of continued research and conservation efforts in the country.

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Field studies were conducted during the cotton crop seasons in 2003 and 2004 at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, to identify mortality factors in the egg stage of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the insecticide-free cotton fields to gain an insight into the role of these factors in causing egg specific mortality. Eggs were collected from cotton fields on different dates during September-November and brought to the laboratory for determining egg viability and level of parasitism. Similarly, plant parts bearing eggs in the field were tagged on different dates and observed daily to assess egg loss. The correlation of egg loss with various abiotic factors was determined. The mean viability of field collected eggs was 75% and 89% during 2003 and 2004, respectively (pooled mean egg viability of 82%). It was 51.34-66.55 (Mean: 59.72) % in the case of eggs deposited in the field by the laboratory-reared females. Eggs were parasitized by Trichogramma chilonis Ishii during September-October and mean parasitization was 25 and only 1-2% during 2003 and 2004, respectively. There was a positive correlation of % egg loss with wind velocity and rainfall as evident for multiple correlation coefficient values, i.e. 0.92 and 0.60 for 2003 and 2004, respectively. A partial ecological life table constructed for egg stage indicated that 23-44% mortality occurs at this stage. Important factors responsible for egg mortality/loss were identified as T. chilonis, inviability, rain, wind and unexplained mortality.

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The main goal of the current study was to isolate and characterize endospore-forming soil bacteria that produce parasporal crystalline proteins against larvae of Lepidoptera insects during stationary phase of growth. Two different methods were applied for the isolation of spore-forming strains. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used for the characterization of cry gene content of the isolated strains and 16S rRNA sequencing was carried out to identify bacterial strains. Efficiency of the isolates as insecticide was evaluated in a bioassay experiment using insect's larvae. Regarding presence of parasporal inclusion crystals and SDS-PAGE patterns, 10 bacterial strains were isolated from about 200 soil samples. Analysis of crystal-spore mixtures with SDS-PAGE showed a broad range of proteins with molecular weight between 11-230 kDa. Data from PCR analysis indicated that only two isolates (RIPI6 and RIPI18) may contain cry3 gene. Isolate RIPI21 and reference strain (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki) were positive for cry1 gene. 16S rRNA gene sequences of all isolates showed at least 96% sequence match with B. thuringiensis strains deposited in the GenBank. The results of bioassay experiments showed the efficacy of strains RIPI7, 10 and 22 on killing of larvae of both Anagasta kuehniella Zeller and Plutella xylostella Curt. It is concluded that there are some bacterial candidates for biological control of major agricultural pests in north of Iran.