A survey was conducted for identification of Euphorinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the northern provinces of Iran. The specimens were collected using Malaise traps during 2010-2011. In all, 9 species in four genera consisting of Allurus Förster, Dinocampus Förster, Peristenus Nees and Perilitus Nees were collected and identified. The genus Allurus is recorded for the first time from Iran. Six species are newly recorded for the Iranian fauna including Allurus muricatus (Haliday), Peristenus pallipes Curtis, Peristenus relictus (Ruthe), Perilitus (Townesilitus) bicolor (Wesmael), Perilitus foveolatus Reinhard and Perilitus rutilus (Nees). Morphological diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of the species are briefly discussed. A key is presented for identification of the genera and species in the studied area.

Euphorinae Förster, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a rather large cosmopolitan subfamily of braconid wasps (van Achterberg & Quicke, 2000). This subfamily comprises 55 genera worldwide of which 30 genera were found in the Palaearctic region (Tobias, 1995; Yu et al., 2012). van Achterberg (1994) recognized four tribes in this subfamily (Euphorini, Cosmophorini, Centistini, Meteorini), while Yu et al. (2012) listed 15 tribes (Centistini, Cosmophorini, Cryptoxilonini, Dinocampini, Euphorini, Helorimorphini, Mannokeraiini, Meteorini, Myiocephalini, Neoneurini, Oncometeorini, Perilitini, Proclithrophorini, Syntretini, and Tainitermini). A wide range of morphological variability within the subfamily Euphorinae, allow them to parasitize very different orders of insects including Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Psocoptera, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera and Orthoptera (Shaw & Huddleston, 1991). Members of Euphorinae develop as solitary or gregarious endoparasitoids on larvae and adults of other insects (Shaw & Huddleston, 1991; Belokobylskij, 2000b). This subfamily is readily recognizable by the following characters: having two submarginal cells in the forewing, first metasomal tergite distinctly petiolate (van Achterberg, 1993; Shaw & Huddleston, 1991), spiracles of first metasomal tergite usually located medially or behind middle of the tergite, vein CUlb of forewing absent or nearly so (van Achterberg, 1993).

The taxonomy of the subfamily Euphorinae was studied by various authors (Loan, 1974; Shaw, 1985, 1996; Belokobylskij, 1992; van Achterberg, 1994; Chen & van Achterberg, 1997; Haeselbarth, 1988, 1998, 1999; van Achterberg and Quicke, 2000; Shaw & Marsh, 2000; Belokobylskij, 2000b; van Achterberg & Haeselbarth, 2003; Boring, 2010; Stigenberg & Ronquist, 2011). Comparatively, a considerable amount of data have been published about the biology of Euphorinae (Loan, 1983; Chen & van Achterberg, 1997; Belokobylskij, 2000b; Maetô, 1988, 1990; Papp, 1994; Zijp & Blommers, 2002; Waloff, 1967; Phillips & Baird, 2001; Bilewicz-Pawinska, 1990).

The north of Iran is characterized by two different ecological zones that are separated by the Alborz Mountains: Hyrcanian (Caspian) (Figure 1) and Iran-o-Turanian zones. The Hyrcanian zone includes Alborz range forest steppe, Caspian mixed forest and Caspian lowland desert. The Iran-o-Turanian zone includes both mountains and plain areas dominated by a desert climate and a hot summer. These zones form diverse and vast regions of mountain, lush irrigated lowlands, wetland and desert with a great biodiversity, which is associated with the diverse flora, topographical irregularity and the xeric landscapes (Heshmati, 2007).

The subfamily Euphorinae in Iran is very poorly studied. Seven tribes and 20 species are listed (as genus-species) from Centistini (1-1), Dinocampini (1-1), Euphorini (3-5), Meteorini (2-6), Neoneurini (1-1), Perilitini (2-4) and Syntretini (1-2) (Fallahzadeh & Saghaei, 2010; Ghahari et al., 2009a, 2009b, 2010; Ghahari & Fischer, 2011;

Lashkari-Bod et al., 2011; Farahani et al., 2012). The objective of this study was to determine the species of the subfamily Euphorinae, as a primary step to understand the situation of this large and diverse group of insects in northern provinces of Iran and to provide a reference collection at Tarbiat Modares University.

The present study was carried out in four northern provinces including, Guilan, Mazandaran, Alborz and Qazvin provinces. The specimens were collected using 32 Malaise traps; 16 traps were set up in northern slopes and 16 traps in southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains in both ecosystems, during 2010 and 2011 (Figure 2). The specimens were extracted from the Malaise traps and sorted weekly. They were then treated with 70% ethanol and finally placed on a paper plate for drying. The dried specimens were then mounted on triangular papers and labeled. The external morphology of specimens were studied using an Olympus SZX9 stereomicroscope. Identifications were performed based on Loan (1974), Tobias (1995) and Haeselbarth (1999). Illustrations were taken using an Olympus SZX9 stereomicroscope and Olympus AX70 microscope equipped with a Sony CCD digital camera. Morphological terminology follows van Achterberg (1993). All the materials were deposited in the insect collection of the Department of Entomology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran.

Four genera including nine species of Euphorinae (Hym.: Braconidae) were collected and identified from northern Iran. They include three previously reported species, Perilitus aethiops Nees, Perilitus stelleri (Loan) and Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank), and six newly recorded species for the Iranian fauna, Allurus muricatus Haliday, Peristenus pallipes Curtis, Peristenus relictus (Ruthe), Perilitus (Townesilitus) bicolor (Wesmael), Perilitus foveolatus Reinhard, Perilitus rutilus (Nees), which are marked with an asterisk in the text.

Keys to the genera and species are the following:

Nine species of Euphorinae were found in this study from northern provinces of Iran; of these, six species were newly recorded, which increased the number of known Euphorinae in Iran from 20 to 26. The first records of Perilitus from Iran were made by Hedwig (1957). Other researchers who studied the Perilitus fauna of Iran are Bartlett et al. (1978), Arbab and McNeill (2001) and Ghahari et al. (2010). Arbab and McNeill (2001) reported P. aethiops as a parasitoid that attacks adult alfalfa weevil (Hypera positica) from Qazvin and Hamadan provinces and Ghahari et al. (2010) has recorded P. stelleri from Isfahan province (cornfield). Mirab-balou et al. (2008) has reported one undetermined species of the genus Peristenus for the first time from Iran (Hamadan province). Lashkari-Bod et al. (2011) has recorded Peristenus picipes (Curtis) from Fars province. Fallahzadeh and Saghaei (2010) erroneously reported P. rubricollis (Thomson) with reference to Khanjani (2004).

The genus Allurus of the tribe Centistini is recorded here for the first time from Iran. Among the neighboring countries, Allurus muricatus has already been recorded from Kazakhstan (Tobias, 1995), while another species, A. lituralis (Haliday, 1835) has been recorded from Turkey (Yilmaz et al., 2010). The specimens were collected using Malaise traps in this study, therefore the biology of the recorded species are unknown. However, according to the previous studies, Allurus muricatus is considered as an adult parasitoid of Sitona sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Stigmella sp. (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) species (Aeschlimann, 1980; Yu et al., 2012), but these records have been placed in doubtful hosts until they are confirmed by further investigations. This species is known to oviposit in adults and emerge from adult stages of the hosts (Aeschlimann, 1980). It was found only in Qazvin province from late May to late June 2011.

Dinocampus coccinellae is a solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid on Coccinellidae but it has also been recorded as attacking Chrysomelidae and Curculionidae (Yu et al., 2012). It parasitizes larvae, pupae and adults but only emerges from adults. Bagheri (1998) has reported Dinocampus coccinellae on Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Isfahan. We also received some specimens of D. coccinellae from Yazd province as an endoparasitoid of C. septempunctata in April 2010.

Belokobylskij (2000a; 2000b) introduced Townesilitus as a subgenus of Perilitus. Many species of the genus Perilitus are recorded as parasitoids of Curculionoidea and Chrysomeloidea. Perilitus aethiops and P. stelleri are most commonly recorded as parasitoids of Curculionoidea (Yu et al., 2012). But Perilitus bicolor and P. foveolatus are commonly recorded as parasitoids of Chrysomeloidea. Perilitus rutilus is a solitary endoparasitoid and emerges from the adult stage of various genera of Coleoptera, such as Hylobius, Hypera, Pityokteines, Sitona and Tytthaspis. Many species of the genus Perilitus, as well as some other genera like Syntretus Forster, are gregarious parasitoids (Shaw and Huddleston, 1991). Perilitus foveolatus is a gregarious endoparasitoid on Timarcha Latreille (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Haeselbarth, 1999).

The genus Peristenus is most commonly recorded as a parasitoid of Miridae nymphs, but also rarely on Chrysomelidae, Cicadellidae, Melandryidae and Nitidulidae (Loan, 1980; Yu et al., 2012).

Some species of the genus Peristenus have been used as a biological control agent against some species of the genus Lygus and alfalfa plant bugs, Adelphocoris lineolatus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Clancy, 1968; Coulson, 1994), whereas most host records of the genus Perilitus involve coleopteran families (Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Coccinellidae and Tenebrionidae). Some species of the genus Peristenus have been used as biological control agents of Sitona and Hypera (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Phyllotreta (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Yu et al., 2012). Moreover, increasing cases of their regulatory impact on important plant pests have been reported, making the members of the genus Perilitus important biological control agents (Coulson, 1987; Haye, 2004).