A contribution to the knowledge of family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in Iran

Abstract

In the course of this study, the number of recorded chalcidids (Hym.: Chalcididae) from Iranincreased to 42 species (including one unidentified species of the genus Lasiochalcidia Masi), of whichfifteen species and four genera are new to Iranian chalcidid fauna. The family Chalcididae is repredentedby three subfamilies in Iran as follows: Chalcidinae (16 species), Dirhininae (two species), andHaltichellinae (24 species). The genus Varzobia Nikol'skaya is here synonymized with TanycoryphusCameron and the type species transferred to that genus as Tanycoryphus tibialis (Nikol'skaya, 1960)comb. n. The species Lasiochalcidia indescripta Bouèek, 1952 stat. rev. is removed from synonymywith L. guineensis (Steffan, 1951). The validity of the species Peltochalcidia ferrierei Steffan is restored,being removed from junior synonymy with P. benoisti Steffan, and transferred to the genus PsilochalcisKieffer. The species Peltochalcidia oranensis Bouèek, 1952 is here synonymized with P. benoisti.Complementary information on the biology, morphology and distribution of the species as well as apreliminary list of the Iranian chalcidid species are presented.

Keywords

• chalcididae
• new combination
• new records
• fauna
• iran