Click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) of Khuzestan province (Iran): with three new species, Craspedostethus izehensis sp.n., Dicronychus khuzestanicus sp. n. and Gurjevelater catei sp. n.

More than 730 specimens of Elateridae were collected in Khuzestan province. Thirty three species belonging to 18 genera and five subfamilies are listed. Three new species, Craspedostethus izehensis sp. n., Dicronychus khuzestanicus sp. n., Gurjevelater catei sp. n. are described, along with the female of Aeoloides iranicus Platia & Gudenzi, 2002. Dicronychus houschkai Platia, 2011 is recorded as a new species to Iran. A distributional map and climate data for each species, along with photographs of habitus and genitalia of eight species are presented.

Revision of the Hycleus sexmaculatus species group (Coleoptera: Meloidae, Mylabrini).

In this study, the blister beetles belonging to the Hycleus sexmaculatus species group are revised. Morphological characters are described and figured for each species and keys to both male and female are provided. Hycleus hayki new species from Southwest Iran is described and the following new synonymies are proposed: Mylabris triangulifera ab. reitterioides Mader 1929 = Hycleus bipunctatus (Olivier, 1811) new synonymy; Mylabris triangulifera ab. bushirensis Mader 1929 = Hycleus bipunctatus (Olivier, 1811) new synonymy; Mylabris javeti Marseul, 1870 = Hycleus colligatus (Redtenbacher, 1850) new synonymy; Mylabris javeti umbilicatus Kaszab, 1958 = Hycleus colligatus (Redtenbacher, 1850) new synonymy; Hycleus amrishi Makhan, 2012 = Hycleus cingulatus (Faldermann, 1837) new synonymy. Additional remarks which rectify previous errors in the identification of the species are provided. The taxonomic positions of Zonabris soumacovi Pic, 1930 and Zonabris sialanus Pic, 1929 are also discussed. Phylogenetic relationships of the species, based on a subset of available species inferred from molecular data are proposed, and some morphologically defined subgroups of species are distinguished with the molecular support. The geographic and ecological distributions of all the species are defined, and a detailed list of localities is provided. The ecological information including phenology, elevation and host plants of the species are summarized in a table. Based on literature records, collections and recently collected data, the distribution of the sexmaculatus species and their biogeographic characteristics are discussed.

Three new species, Elathous zagrosensis sp. n., Zorochros dilatatus sp. n., and Dicronychus iranicus sp. n., and noteworthy records of click beetles from western Iran (Coleoptera: Elateridae).

Thirty-two species of Elateridae are listed from the central region of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran. Three new species, Elathous zagrosensis sp. n., Zorochros dilatatus sp. n., and Dicronychus iranicus sp. n. are described. Cardiophorus bellus Platia Gudenzi, is recorded for the first time from Iran. Distribution maps and climate data are presented for all species.

New species and records of pollen and sap beetles for Iran (Coleoptera: Kateretidae, Nitidulidae).

During recent expeditions in North and Southwest Iran, 10 species of Kateretidae and Nitidulidae (Coleoptera) were found. One species of Kateretidae, Brachyleptus bicoloratus Reitter, 1896, and three nitidulid species, Afrogethes schilskyi (Reitter, 1897), Stachygethes khnzoriani (Kirejtshuk, 1979), and S. nigerrimus (Rosenhauer, 1856) are recorded for the first time for the Iranian fauna (the latter is also a new record for Asia). Thymogethes ahriman (Jelínek, 1981) is herein resurrected to species rank, and two species, Thymogethes kassites sp. nov. and T. khorasanicus sp. nov., are described as new. An updated key to the known Near East and Afghan species of the genus Thymogethes Audisio & Cline, 2009 is also provided. Available and recently collected biological and distributional data, as well as short taxonomic comments, are given for the discussed species.

Genetic variability of two ecomorphological forms of Stenus Latreille, 1797 in Iran, with notes on the infrageneric classification of the genus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Steninae).

In this study, the genetic diversity of Iranian populations of two widespread Stenus species representing two ecomorphological forms, the "open living species" Stenus erythrocnemus Eppelsheim, 1884 and the "stratobiont" Stenus callidus Baudi di Selve, 1848, is presented using data from a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene. We evaluate the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I haplotypes and the intraspecific genetic distance of these two species. Our results reveal a very low diversity of COI sequences in Stenus erythrocnemus in contrast to Stenus callidus. Moreover, the COI based phylogeny of a selection of Iranian Stenus support the monophyly of some species groups of Stenus proposed by Puthz (2008) and contradicts the traditional infrageneric classification.

The Steninae MacLeay, 1825 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of Iran: identification key, checklist of species and a new synonymy.

In this contribution to the knowledge of the Steninae MacLeay, 1825 of Iran we present an identification key to the 69 species known to occur in this country, which includes illustrations of the diagnostic genital characters of all species involved. The endophallic characters of the aedeagus of several Iranian species of Stenus Latreille, 1797 are illustrated for the first time. A critical checklist of the Steninae of Iran is presented at the province level. Stenus alanorum Ryvkin, 1990 is synonymized with S. medus Puthz, 1981.

A new Mylabris species from south-eastern Iran and a key to the Iranian species of the nominate subgenus (Coleoptera, Meloidae).

A new species of Mylabris of the nominate subgenus is described and figured. This species is apparently endemic to the south-eastern Iranian province of Kerman and seems to be phenetically very distinct from all other species of this subgenus, primarily because of the unique elytral pattern. A key to the species of the nominate subgenus distributed in Iran is also presented.