Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of Taleghan Region (North of Iran) with reporting of ten new records for Iran

Abstract

The faunistic knowledge of Iranian weevils is still relatively low, especially in comparison with the vastness and rich environment of this country. During the years 2014-2015, a faunistic study on superfamily Curculionoidea was done in Taleghan Region. This region is located on the southern slope of the Alborz Mountains and irrigated by several rivers. Taleghan Region is known mainly for its green landscape which is covered mostly by rangelands, grasslands, but also agricultural farms and fruit gardens. Recently, several human activities have shaped into the Taleghan landscapes and then it resulted in a dramatic reduction of vegetation. In our study a total of 51 species of weevils were confirmed for this region and 10 of them (Hemitrichapion pavidum (Germar, 1817), Protapion laevicolle (Kirby, 1811), Pseudoprotapion elegantulum (Germar, 1818), P. astragali astragali (Paykull, 1800), Mecinus labilis (Herbst, 1795), Mogulones asperifoliarum (Gyllenhal, 1813), Tychius astragali Becker, 1862, T. callidus Caldara, 1990, T. tridentinus Penecke, 1922, and T. trivialis Boheman, 1843) have been recorded in Iran for the first time. In addition, a brief discussion is given for several species considered as rare weevils or interesting records for Iranian fauna. Finally, the environmental factors with influence effect into the weevil community in Taleghan Region are discussed