Identification of the butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) in the IMCA (Insect and Mite Collection of Ahvaz) at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran.

Abstract

Butterflies are with about 19.000 species one of the best-known groups of insects and include five families in Iran. In the present work, we studied the butterflies of the “Insect and Mite Collection of Ahvazˮ located at the Department of Plant Protection, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz which dates back to 55 years ago. All butterfly species deposited in the collection were studied and identified. We examined wing patterns, genitalia, and in a few cases used DNA barcoding by means of standard primers (LepF1 & LepR1) for species identification. As a result, 82 species and subspecies belonging to Papilionidae (5 taxa), Hesperiidae (11 taxa), Lycaenidae (15 taxa), Pieridae (17 taxa) and Nymphalidae (34 taxa) were identified from 21 Iranian Provinces. Among them, 24 new provincial records were registered for the Provinces of Khuzestan (11), Ilam (4), Esfahan (3), Yazd (2), Lorestan, Bushehr, Khorasan-e Razavi and Kohgiluyeh-va Boyerahmad (1 each). Our results indicate that despite well-known information about butterflies in Iran, their local distribution maps and taxonomic status can be further supplemented and revised by conducting more research into explicit species diversity in each area.