A contribution to the knowledge of family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in Iran

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Abstract

In the course of this study, the number of recorded chalcidids (Hym.: Chalcididae) from Iran
increased to 42 species (including one unidentified species of the genus Lasiochalcidia Masi), of which
fifteen species and four genera are new to Iranian chalcidid fauna. The family Chalcididae is repredented
by three subfamilies in Iran as follows: Chalcidinae (16 species), Dirhininae (two species), and
Haltichellinae (24 species). The genus Varzobia Nikol'skaya is here synonymized with Tanycoryphus
Cameron and the type species transferred to that genus as Tanycoryphus tibialis (Nikol'skaya, 1960)
comb. n. The species Lasiochalcidia indescripta Bouèek, 1952 stat. rev. is removed from synonymy
with L. guineensis (Steffan, 1951). The validity of the species Peltochalcidia ferrierei Steffan is restored,
being removed from junior synonymy with P. benoisti Steffan, and transferred to the genus Psilochalcis
Kieffer. The species Peltochalcidia oranensis Bouèek, 1952 is here synonymized with P. benoisti.
Complementary information on the biology, morphology and distribution of the species as well as a
preliminary list of the Iranian chalcidid species are presented.

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