Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics
Year:2015 | Volume:11 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

Mutualistic interaction between aphids and ants is one of the classical examples of mutualism. The current study was carried out during 2013-2014 in Golestan province, North-eastern Iran, to investigate the myrmecophilous aphids and their relationships with ants. In this study, 11 ant species representing seven genera and two subfamilies associated with 12 aphid species belonging to two subfamilies were collected on different host plants. Among aphid species, Aphis gossypii Glover 1877 and A. craccivora Koch 1854 were observed frequently associated with ants, while among ant species, Crematogaster subdentataMayr 1877 and Plagiolepis taurica Santschi 1920 had more frequent interactions with aphids. Moreover, exceptFormica persica Seifert & Schultz, 2009, all ant species were reported for the first time from Golestan province. More detailed studies are needed to investigate ant–aphid mutualistic relationships in Iran to understand their complicated relationships in nature.

The genus Sericothrips Haliday is reported for the first time from Iran, based on the specimens collected onLotus sp. and identified as S. bicornis (Karny). This is the third genus of subfamily Sericothripinae in Iran, and illustrations are provided to identify this species. The number of Thysanoptera genera now known from Iran is discussed, as well as the host associations of Iranian Sericothripinae.

By using published records and original data from recent research, the first checklist for subfamily Deltocephalinae from Iran is presented. This study is based on a comprehensive review of literatures and the examination of some materials from our collection. The present checklist contains 184 species belonging to 74 genera. In addition, for each species, the known geographical distribution in Iran and in the world is reported.

Five metric and 10 meristic characters were studied in 30 specimens ofEryx (Daudin, 1803) in Bahr Al-Najaf depression, Al-Najaf Province – Iraq. According to the results, and considering the principle of priority, we concluded that the populations ofE. jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the study area should be classified intoE. jaculus jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758) andE. jaculus familiaris Eichwald, 1831. In addition, ten specimens belonging to a population ofEryx in the area were found to differ from all other E. jaculus. They have second upper labial scale being lower than the third one scale. These specimens, which are tentatively regarded asEryx cf. miliaris (Pallas, 1773), need more comprehensive study to clarify their taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationship using more morphological traits, ecology, and molecular studies.

Laudakia nupta, with numerous local populations through Iran, is one of the most widely distributed species of the GenusLaudakia in Iran. Eight hundred and fifty nine bp of mitochondrial ND4-tRNALEUwere sequenced and analyzed for 47 specimens of L. nupta and three specimens ofLaudakia melanura, as an out-group taxon. All specimens were collected during field work in Iran. Based on branch pattern of the phylogenetic trees and the amounts of genetic distances within and between major clades recovered in the phylogenetic trees, L. nupta, as a species complex in Iran, should be fundamentally revised taxonomically. Based on our results, two clear geographically isolated clades could be distinguished; one nominate species (L. nupta) distributed through southwest to eastern Iran, and the other consisting of the populations of western foothills of the Zagros Mountains. The morphological analysis would enable us to describe the latter populations as a new species.

The nocturnal burrowing skinks of genusOphiomorus is composed of 11 species (Anderson & Leviton, 1966; Nilson & Andrén, 1978; Anderson, 1999; Kazemi et al., 2011) and are distributed from southern Balkans to Sindhian deserts in India (Anderson & Leviton, 1966; Sindaco & Jeremčenko, 2008). Seven species ofOphiomorus have been recorded from Iran including O. blanfordi (Boulenger, 1887); O. brevipes (Blanford, 1874); O. nuchalis (Nilson & Andrén, 1978); O. persicus (Steindachner, 1867); O. streeti (Anderson and Leviton, 1966); O. tridactylus (Blyth, 1853); O.maranjabensis(Kazemi et al., 2011) (Anderson, 1999; Rastegar-Pouyani et al., 2008; Kazemi et al., 2011; Safaei-Mahroo et al., 2015). According to Greer and Wilson (2001), the scincid lizard is more attractive case to study because of having ancestral characters and limb reduction.

The burrowing skinks of the genus Ophiomorus Dumeril and Bibron, 1839 with eleven described species distributed from Greece through southwest Asia to northwestern India (Anderson and Leviton, 1966; Nilson and Andrén, 1978; Anderson, 1999; Kazemi et al., 2011).

Rhinogecko misonnei (de Witte, 1973) is a species of geckonid lizard distributed in Iran and Pakistan.This species was calledAgamura misonnei by Szczerbak and Golubev in 1993. Witte (1973) was the first to introduce this species from Dasht-e-Lut in eastern Iran (30o13’ N, 58 o 47’ E). The last report of this species that of Moradi et al. (2009) in the western Dasht-e-Lut in eastern Iran (30o29’ N, 57 o 44’ E). Here, we report a new record that shows a wider distribution of Rhinogecko misonnei in southeastern Iran. An adult specimen of this species (ZMSBUK703) was collected during field work from Rigan county, southeastern Kerman Province.

Artemiahas been recorded in thalassohaline and athalassohaline saline habitats from all over the world (Persoone & Sorgeloos, 1980) and is widely used in aquaculture as a food source for crustaceans and fish (Leger et al., 1986). The occurrence of wildArtemia populations from 17 hypersaline environments such as saline lakes, lagoons and salty rivers, distributed over 12 provinces in Iran were previously reported (Abatzopoulos et al., 2006) We added parthenogeneticArtemia from Bazangan lake as 18th natural habitat in the country (Fig.1).