Hemocytes are the most important hemolymph components in the circulatory system of insects, which in addition to feeding all cells and tissues of the body, play a key role in physiological defense. In this research, the identification of hemocytes in the gamma moth as a cosmopolitan and omnivorous pest was considered. To perform experiments, hemolymph was collected from pest larvae, and the cells were identified after settling on a slide and staining with Giemsa solution. Five types of hemocytes were observed in the hemolymph of insect larvae, including prohemocytes, granulocytes, plasmotocytes, oenocytoids, and spherulocytes. Prohemocytes are the smallest cells and round with a central nucleus were present in the fourth instar larvae of the moth. granulocytes are larger than prohemocytes, round with abundant granules in the cytoplasm, spindle-shaped plasmotocytes with one or two cytoplasmic cells, egg-shaped onocytoids with a lateral nucleus, and relatively large spherulocytes with spherule-shape cytoplasm. The frequency of granulocytes and plasma cells in fourth and fifth instar larvae was about 70% and more than other cells. While in younger larvae, the density of prohemocytes and plasmotocytes was relatively higher than other cells. Our findings can be used as the first stage of hematology studies of Plusia gamma.

The role of hemolymph factors, especially hemocytes, in combating foreign invaders introduced into the hemolymph, is crucial, and identifying these cells and their diversity is the first step in insect immune studies. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the morphology of hemocytes in the larvae of Spodoptera litura. Fifth instar larvae were used in the experiments. The larvae were reared under the conditions of a temperature of 25 ± 1 °C, relative humidity of 50%, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (light:dark). Based on observations using a light microscope at 40× magnification, five types of hemocytes, including prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, granulocytes, oenocytoids, and esferocytes, were found in the hemolymph of the insect larvae. Prohemocytes were rounded with a large central nucleus, and their abundance in the hemolymph of fifth instar larvae was approximately 10%. Plasmatocytes were commonly observed in a binucleated form with distinct elongated and pointed protrusions, as well as in a worm-like shape. These were the largest hemocytes in terms of longitudinal size. They had a centrally positioned distinct nucleus and granular cytoplasm. The abundance of plasmatocytes was approximately 38%. Granulocytes were round and larger than prohemocytes, characterized by numerous granules in their cytoplasm. They exhibited the highest abundance among hemocytes. Oenocytoids had a circular shape and a lateral nucleus, with an abundance of approximately 8%. Esferocytes had a vacuolated cytoplasm and thin cell walls. They had the lowest abundance among hemocytes in the fifth instar S. litura larvae, accounting for less than 1%.

In this paper, Amphipyra kautti Hacker, 2002 which was collected from Zagros Mountain ranges is newly reported for the fauna of Iran. Another species from Amphipyrinae which was collected during our survey is also presented. Sampling was carried out by light traps powered by 12-volt batteries and 8-watt UVB light tubes. Materials were deposited in the Insect and Mite Collection of Ahvaz, Plant Protection Department, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Genitalia slides were prepared following Fibiger (1997). Identifications were done according to available literature such as Hacker (1998), Fibiger & Hacker (2007) and by studying museum materials at Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest by the first author. Systematics and nomenclature are according to Fibiger & Hacker (2007), with later modifications by Keegan et. al. (2019,2021). Adults were photographed by Canon EOS 600D and genitalia with a Canon SX40 attached to an Olympus SZX12 stereomicroscope.

The list of subfamily Catocalinae (Lepidoptera; NOCTUIDAE) of Iran is updated. Until now, 111 species belonging to 22 genera of this subfamily are recorded. Also, the Iranian records in different provinces are presented.

The adult female of Otopheidomenis zalelestes is redescribed and illustrated with many photographs based on three non-paratype females collected by Treat in 1955 and in 1966 on museum-preserved specimens of a female and male of the noctuid moth Zale lunata Drury that were donated to the author's collection by Treat decades ago. The chaetotaxy of genua and tibiae I-IV and several other details, including the sigilla and distance measurements between the paired dorsal idiosomal setae never discussed before, are included. These are compared with several paratype females of this species borrowed from the Ohio State University Acarology Laboratory (OSAL), Columbus, OH. This included a female showing the tubular laelapid type insemination system (spermatheca) and a male showing the spermatodactyl and basifemur of leg II showing a hump-like projection having a tiny seta on it which are described and illustrated.

The genus Euxoa Hübner, [1821] is regarded as the most highly evolved among the genera of the subfamily Noctuinae and contains by far the largest number of species of the subfamily in Europe and in the Palaearctic region. Fifty-four species of this genus has been already reported from Iran. In this paper a list of 17 already recorded species and subspecies of Euxoa from the north-east of Iran is given and discussed. Furthermore, E. acuminifera (Eversmann, 1854) is newly reported for the fauna of Iran. Figures of its adult male and female and their genitalia are provided together with bionomics and distribution of the species.

In a two-year study on natural enemies of tomato fruit worm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lep.: NOCTUIDAE) in Golestan province, two parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae were identified, which are newly recorded from Iran: 1. Hyposoter didymator (Thunberg), which was collected in 8 July 2003, in Seyed-Miran, 9 Km west of Gorgan, and 2. Ctenichneumon panzer (Wesmael), which was collected in 20 July 2003 at Gorgan Agricultural Research Station. These two species were identified by Dr K. Horstmann, Universitaet Wuerzburg, Germany and Dr E. Diller, Zoologische Staatssammlung Munchen, Germany, respectively.

Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) was studied in laboratory (25±1oC, 60±5% RH, and 16:8 L:D h) exploring the antibiotic effects of 10 canola cultivars (Sarigol, SLM046, Hayula420, RGS003, Opera, Okapi, Licord, Modena, Zarfam and Talaye) on its demographic parameters. The age-stage, two-sex and the traditional female age-specific life tables were constructed by using the demographic data. The larval period was longest on Modena (17.53 days) and pupal period was longest on Opera (8.96 days). The longest and shortest development time of immature stages lasted 29.96 and 25.82 days on Talaye and Okapi, respectively. Male adult longevity was longest on Okapi (14.93 days) and shortest on Hayula420 (9.14 days), and female adult longevity was longest on Zarfam (18.04 days) and shortest on Hayula420 (8.07 days). Based on the two-sex life table, the net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), and finite rate of increase (l) were highest on Okapi (352.96 offspring per individual, 0.201 and 1.223 day-1, respectively). The lowest value of R0 was recorded on Opera (152.73 offspring per individual) and lowest value of r and on Talaye (0.142 and 1.153 day-1, respectively). The mean generation time (T) took longest time on Modena (36.41 days) and shortest on Okapi (29.06 days). The results of this study showed that ‘Okapi’ was the most suitable canola cultivar for reproduction and population growth of S. exigua, which revealed higher susceptibility of ‘Okapi’ to this pest.