An annotated checklist of Platypodinae and Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Iran
Author
Beaver, Roger A.
Author
Ghahari, Hassan
Author
Sanguansub, Sunisa
text
Zootaxa
2016
4098
3
401
441
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4098.3.1
8770e7d9-65f4-4cee-a935-a5f365a95f32
1175-5326
258895
00F1BDB5-AB25-47A0-B789-2E05D2E683DE
Orthotomicus erosus
(Wollaston, 1857)
Distribution in
Iran
.
Fars
, West Azarbaijan, northern provinces (
Modarres Awal 1997
), Guilan (
Borumand 1998
;
Amini
et al
. 2013
), Tehran (
Borumand 1998
),
Iran
(no locality cited) (
Mifsud & Knižek 2009
).
General distribution.
Central and southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East,
Afghanistan
,
Tajikistan
,
Uzbekistan
,
China
. Introduced into
Chile
,
Uruguay
and
South Africa
.
Biology.
The species breeds in
Pinus
(Pinaceae)
, but maturation feeding can also occur on
Cupressus
(Cupressaceae)
(
Mendel & Halperin 1982
). Recorded in
Iran
from
Pinus
sp. (
Pinaceae
) (
Modarres Awal 1997
;
Amini
et al
. 2013
), and
Cupressus sempervirens
var.
horizontalis
(Cupressaceae)
(
Modarres Awal 1997
). The biology, behaviour and seasonal history have been studied by Mendel and colleagues (
Mendel & Halperin 1982
;
Mendel 1983a
;
Mendel
et al
. 1991
) in
Israel
, and
Tribe (1990b
,
1992
) in
South Africa
. Various aspects of host selection behaviour are discussed by
Walter
et al
. (2010a
,
b
). The interactions between the species and other scolytines attacking pine have been studied by
Amezaga and Rodríguez (1998)
. The species, like other
Orthotomicus
species found in
Iran
, normally attacks weakened or dead trees, but primary attacks on apparently healthy trees can occur following fires, or when populations build up in dead host trees left
in situ
in the forest (
Serez 1987
;
Paiva 1995
).
Comments.
Bracon
(
Glabrobracon
)
praetermisus
Marshall
, 1885
(
Hymenoptera
:
Braconidae
) was collected from Guilan (northern
Iran
) by Ghahari
et al
. (2012). Since it is a parasitoid of
Orthotomicus erosus
(
Beyarslan et al. 2005
)
and
O
. erosus
is a dominant species in northern
Iran
(
Modarres Awal 1997
;
Borumand 1998
), its role as a natural enemy should be investigated.