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The current study proposes a taxonomy to organize existing knowledge on cybercrimes against critical infrastructure such as power plants, water treatment facilities, dams, and nuclear facilities. Routine Activity Theory is used to inform a three-dimensional taxonomy with the following dimensions: hacker motivation (likely offender), cyber, physical, and cyber-physical components of any cyber-physical system (suitable target), and security (capable guardian). The focus of the study is to develop and evaluate the classification tool using Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. Publicly available data was used to evaluate the utility and usability of the proposed artifact by exploring three possible scenarios -- Stuxnet, the Ukrainian power grid shut down, and ransomware attacks. While similar taxonomies exist, none of them have been verified due to the sensitive nature of the data and this would be one of the first empirically validated frameworks to explore cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. By better understanding these attacks, we can be better prepared to prevent and respond to incidents.

There is a dearth of research on hope in studies of second or foreign (L2) language learning. Therefore, the present research contributes conceptually to a deep understanding of hope for learning English as a foreign language and the ways it may be developed. To do so, an exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. Using in-depth interviews, qualitative data was collected from the advanced-level adult Iranian EFL learners. Grounded-based analysis of the data led to the emergence of forty-seven items tied to seven main components as well as inter-relationships between them. In the quantitative phase, a 47-item questionnaire of hope for learning EFL was designed and then piloted. Next, to test the validity of the piloting phase findings, the refined 46-item questionnaire of hope for learning EFL was administered to a convenience sample of EFL learners (n=330). Statistical analyses of the testing data confirmed that forty-six items are linked to seven broad underlying components of hope for learning EFL. The main factors building the construct of hope for learning EFL were confirmed. Moreover, core factor, interconnections between the identified components were developed and validated. The findings can provide invaluable clues as to the development of educational interventionist programs in the future.

High and low achievers' strategy use profiles in the speaking skill appear to be rare, with the few studies examining their strategy use profiles only in skills such as reading and writing. Another gap can be observed in the scrutiny of effective and ineffective strategy use in speaking tests. The study was carried out with thirty male and female high and low achieving test takers who engaged in the speaking section of IELTS and reported their strategy use through stimulated recalls in the Iranian context. Data collection involved two key phases: The test takers first went through a familiarization phase where they learned how to carry out stimulated recalls. This phase was followed by the main phase of the study where the test takers took the IELTS speaking exam, verbalizing their strategies after each of its three speaking tasks. The researchers used Huang's (2013) taxonomy of speaking strategies to analyze the garnered data. Results indicated high achievers' heavier reliance on strategic behaviors compared with low achievers. The findings also revealed high achievers' greater use of effective strategies than low achievers, and low achievers' more frequent use of a noticeably higher number of ineffective strategies compared to high achievers. More specific outcomes revealed that the variations between the two groups were mainly in the frequency of meta-cognitive, communication, approach, and social strategy categories. The results primarily confirm high and low achievers' varied strategic behavior profiles in test situations and the significance of effective strategy employment for higher test scores.

Today, most high education experts consider value creation (a term different from entrepreneurship or entrepreneur) as a condition necessary for the survival and development of universities and higher education systems. In this era of advanced technologies and knowledge-based industries in global, regional, national and even local economies, universities can only cope with current widespread crises by strengthening their relationship with industries. The purpose of this study is to design a 'Value-Creation university' model with emphasis on indicators of higher education system. Mixed method (combination of exploratory plan and taxonomy development plan) was applied in this study terms of purpose and implementation. The statistical population consisted of two qualitative and quantitative groups. For the qualitative group, 15 individuals were selected from academic experts and professors in Golestan Province while for the quantitative group 140 individuals were selected from the staff of Ali Abad Katoul University. The selected sample volume based on Morgan's formula was 103. Sampling in the present study was judgmental or purposive at the first stage and simple at the second stage. The research tool used was a questionnaire. Data analysis was done manually in the qualitative part using Grounded method (open-axis-selective coding) while for the quantitative part structural equation method was used together with SPSS and Amos software. The results show that (1) interventionist conditions with focus on the indicators of higher education system, that is, structural component, have a positive effect on the central category, (2) central category has a positive effect on the encouragement, financial and pragmatic strategies, (3) strategies have positive impact on individual and social outcomes, (4) intra-organizational platforms have positive impact on central category and (5) the causal category, namely the indicators of the value creation in universities and the evolution of the higher education system, has a positive effect on the central category.

This study investigated the post-reading comprehension questions and task types in the "Four Corners" series based on Freeman's (2014) taxonomy, which was developed, specifically, for the L2 reading context covering a wider range of question types compared with previous taxonomies. While literature abounds with studies investigating the cognitive level of EFL materials, there is a scarcity of research on reading comprehension questions and tasks based on the abovementioned taxonomy. To fill the niche, the study followed a descriptive content analysis procedure. The post-reading comprehension questions in each level were categorized and counted by the researchers and a second rater. The Kappa coefficient was 0.91. The results showed Content type was the most dominant in levels one, two and three. However, in level four, Language type outnumbered the other types. As revealed by the results, Explicit, Personal, Implicit, and Lexical types were the most common reading comprehension questions in levels one, two, three and four respectively. The results of the Kruskal Wallis test for independent samples demonstrated that there is a significant difference in Explicit, Implicit, Lexical, Reorganization types across levels. It was also revealed that among all reading comprehension questions in the whole series, the Personal Response category enjoyed the highest percentage of occurrence while no reading comprehension questions targeted Form. The descriptive result of the study could provide a sound guiding framework for EFL/ESL teachers who would like to develop their own reading comprehension questions and tasks. It could also help materials users evaluate the reading section of one of the popular EFL books in Iran, as in other parts of the world.

Though vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) have drawn continuous attention in SLA research in the past three decades, there remain many unanswered questions, many unknown caveats and many unexplored regions. Quite a few historical reviews of vocabulary learning strategies have been undertaken by researchers over the past years, tracing its growth over the years. However, no research until now has captured the VLS profile of learners from diverse ESL/EFL backgrounds and presented an analysis from a geographical point of view. This study aims to capture the VLS profile of the diverse learners and takes up the task of the geographical review of vocabulary learning strategies landscaping the VLS research over many countries. For this purpose, the researcher has chosen specifically the research happening in the backdrop of ESL/EFL contexts. Fourteen papers have been selected for review belonging to Philippine, Turkey, Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Congo, China, India, Sudan, Libya and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A detailed analysis reveals not only the juggling between the experiential and traditional modes of vocabulary learning but also the reasons behind the insufficient vocabulary size of the learners in myriad contexts.

Some significant components are essential in teaching a language. Among these, textbooks are the most significant ones and must be considered seriously. Textbooks play an important role in EFL teaching and learning because they can provide ready-made materials to both teachers and students. Besides, if textbooks aren't used appropriately, they may spoil the process of teaching. This study aimed at analyzing listening and speaking activities of the textbook Prospect 3 which is used for Junior High School third graders in order to investigate in which level of lower or higher of the learning objectives related to Bloom's (2001) Revised Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain they would be classified. The findings revealed that all of the activities of listening and speaking skills were classified as the low level of cognitive complexity and could not train the students of this grade for high levels of learning objectives. Hence the teachers should employ extra activities to make the students perform in higher levels of thinking skills and book designers should improve the content of the textbook to cover the higher levels of the cognitive domain.

In this paper, lower-order mathematical thinking skills within finance were studied from the viewpoint of financial employees in the Iranian Bank of Industry and Mine. To conduct this research, a questionnaire was developed after reviewing lower-order mathematical thinking skills in finance. In accordance with the revised Bloom's taxonomy, the skills considered in the questionnaire were "remembering mathematics in finance", "understanding mathematics in finance", and "applying mathematics in finance". In order to develop the questionnaire, we conducted interviews with employees and scholars, then a suitable sample familiar with mathematics and finance, consisting of 141 bank employees, was studied. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Our findings show a hierarchical relationship between the first three mathematical thinking skills in finance, which confirms the revised Bloom's taxonomy. In addition, the attitudes of participants were positive concerning the importance of these skills. Participants believed that, in order to achieve proper functioning, it is essential to improve the skills of financial employees. The results were analysed with a T-test and ANOVA. This showed that the gender, position, experience, department, degree, and field of study of participants did not affect their attitudes. This research indicates that, for the successful utilisation of skills, it is essential to form an effective relationship between mathematical science and its practical application in the banking world. It is recommended to hold on-the-job training courses for financial employees in banks to empower them to use their computational skills.

The current study aimed at investigating the possible effects of explicit teaching of affective strategies on Iranian EFL learners' oral language proficiency and the extent of their anxiety in EFL classroom. First, PET test was administered to a total number of 120 female third grade high school EFL students. Then, 60 participants whose score fell within the range of + or - 1 SD from the mean score were selected for the main study. Next, they were randomly assigned into two groups (one control and one experimental). The design of the study was Experimental comparison-group plan. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale adopted from Horwitz (1986) was used to examine the EFL learners' anxiety level in English class. Moreover, two equivalent oral tests adopted from Heaton (1975) were administered to the participants of the two groups both at the beginning and at the end of the study served as pre and post-tests. The treatment for the experimental group included Oxford's (1990) taxonomy of affective strategies, which included explicit affective strategy instruction (in relaxation, music, visualization, humor, positive self-talk, risk-taking, and monitoring emotions). The control group did not receive any special instruction in terms of affective strategies. To investigate the possible effects of explicit affective strategy use instruction on the participants' oral language proficiency and their anxiety level, the pre and posttests of oral tests and the participants' self-reports of anxiety control in both groups were analyzed and compared. The results of independent samples T-test indicated that while the two groups were homogeneous in terms of oral proficiency and level of anxiety control before introducing the treatment, the experimental group performed better than the control group in the oral post-test. Moreover, the level of anxiety control for the experimental group was significantly different and higher than that of the control group. The results confirm the positive effects of affective strategy instruction on oral language proficiency. The findings of this study provide a greater understanding of affective strategy use among Iranian EFL learners. This study might also have some implications for material developers to consider strategy use in materials development.

To determine the issue of whether there were any significant differences between the groups including Iran ISI, Iran non- ISI, and native authors in binary comparisons as for employing interactional markers, the present study was conducted. To collect the data, 90 "method sections" of English medical research articles within Iranian ISI, Iranian non-ISI, and native ISI journals written by Iranian and native authors published between 2005 and 2010, were examined. As the model of analysis, Hyland's (2005) taxonomy of metadiscourse markers was used. After performing quantitative and qualitative analyses of the interactional markers, Chi- Square tests were run. The results of the study at p= 0.05 revealed significant differences in binary comparisons made up of native / Iran ISI, native / Iran non- ISI, and Iran ISI/ Iran non-ISI as for employing self-mentions. The findings also demonstrated a significant difference between Native and Iran ISI groups for using boosters. These differences may be influenced by the writers' mother tongue, culture and also by their lack or limited awareness of the rhetorical conventions of English medical academic research writing which are needed to be taken into consideration.

The significance of using language learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning strategies in particular is quite clear to both language learners and language specialists. Being familiar with and making use of a range of different vocabulary learning strategies is a great aid for EAP learners in dealing with unknown words. The present study deals with vocabulary learning strategies used by EAP students at Guilan University, and, it aims at investigating the most and the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies among Iranian EAP students majoring in the field of Social Sciences. It also seeks to find out whether there are difference between male and females regarding their use of these strategies. Data collection was done using a modified version of Schmitt's (1997) Vocabulary Learning Strategies taxonomy in the form of a questionnaire, and asking 55 students to complete it. The results indicate that the EAP learners who took part in this study use more or less the same kind of vocabulary learning strategies with a rather similar frequency of usage, and also the issue of gender makes no significant difference in their strategy use.

The present study was designed to examine the ways power relations influence politeness strategies in disagreement. The study was an attempt to find out whether different power status of people influences the the choice of appropriate politeness strategies and speech act of disagreement by Iranian EFL learners, in a university setting. A Discourse Completion Test (DCT) was utilized to elicit the required data. The sample included 20 Iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners who were selected based on their scores on a proficiency test. The DTC consists of five scenarios in which the subjects are expected to disagree with two higher statuses and two with peers and one with a lower status. Selection of disagreement situations in DCT was based on relative power and status of people. The main frameworks used for analyzing data were the taxonomy from Muntigl and Turnbull (1995) for counting and analyzing the utterances of disagreement and Brown and Levinson' (1987) theory of politeness. It was found that EFL learners employ different kind of politeness strategies in performing this face threatening speech act. When performing the speech act of disagreement, they used more direct and bald on record strategies. The findings of this study provide some evidences for the relation between the type and frequency of disagreement and choice of politeness strategies associated with people with different power status. It concludes by arguing that the results can be closely related with learning contexts and textbook contents and some suggestions were put forward regarding the issue. It is also hoped that the findings of this study will provide some worthwhile knowledge into the teaching and training of communication skills in EFL courses. Furthermore, this study may reveal some cultural differences between Iranian societies and others.

This study intends to shed light on the most occurring grammatical and lexical (pragmatic) errors which students make in their compositions. For this purpose, 23 male and female undergraduate students from different majors were asked to take part in the present study. Each week, for four weeks, students were asked to write 4 compositions on predetermined topics. Students' writings were analyzed for errors based on a linguistic Category Taxonomy and the frequency of errors for each category was calculated. Two kinds of corrective feedback were devised based on the type of errors observed, deductive (explicit) explanation of interlingual errors and inductive (implicit) clarification of intralingual errors. After the treatment, students wrote four more compositions and the frequencies of errors for the two sets of writings were compared to see if any significant changes had occurred. It was found that the most errors were of interlingual category (71%). It was also concluded that in 22 out of 26 categories, the frequency of errors decreased. Deductive (explicit) teaching of interlingual and also inductive (implicit) teaching of intralingual erroneous points decreased the error frequency of students. Moreover, interlingual errors were more affected than intralingual in case of error reduction.

This article examined the translation of taboo language in English language films subtitled into Persian by Iranian fansubbers. Based on the results, the fansubbers' strategies towards taboo language translation were classified into maintaining, deleting, mitigating, substituting, and amplifying. Further analysis suggested that their approach was guided by the source culture norms rather than the target culture norms as evidenced by their attempts to keep as many taboos as possible irrespective of the disapproval of the recipient dominant conventions. Such an exercise appears to be a subversion and resistance to the hegemonic doctrine and conservative ideology advocated in the Iranian society and mass media.

The aim of this study was to investigate discourse markers in descriptive compositions of 90 Iranian students who were selected from two universities. Without any instruction, they were given a topic to write a descriptive composition per week for 8 weeks. 598 compositions were collected, and they were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by three raters following Fraser's (1999) taxonomy of "Discourse Markers." Findings showed that students employed discourse markers with different degrees of occurrence. Elaborative markers were the most frequently used, followed by inferential, contrastive, causative, and topic relating markers. There was a direct and positive relationship between the quality of the compositions and the number of well-functioned discourse markers. Results also revealed statistically significant differences between the use of discourse markers and composition quality in the groups. Graduate students used more discourse markers, and this led to more cohesive texts.

The ultimate goal of any academic program is to educate and bring up thoughtful citizens in societies. By "thoughtfulness" we mean paving the spectrum from simply applying the rules (lower order thinking) to finding proper solution to authentic novel problems (higher order thinking). It is helping the practitioners pave the continuum of knowledge construction towards logic construction, meanwhile restructuring the sense of responsibility, i.e. "autonomy". The study reported here has investigated the effect of three higher order thinking strategies on enhancing learner autonomy of EFL undergraduates in Iran through instructional intervention. The authors adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches to answer the research questions, collecting data via the instruments of the test, questionnaire, and interview. The three treatment groups (n = 30 each) receiving one of the three higher order thinking strategies in fifteen sessions of 90 min of the course "reading comprehension III". The strategy training phase of this study was implicit and embedded in form of awareness raising (Chamot and Rubin, 1994). The instrumental material for all four groups (three treatments and one control) was the same as "Active Skills for Reading 3" by Neil J. Anderson (2014). The control group (n = 30), however, experienced a traditional reading instruction mainly focused on vocabulary development, writing tasks, and comprehension drills. Operationalized through the procedures of the present study and implemented over the first academic semester 2015-2016, Bloom's higher order thinking strategies had positive influence on enhancing the practitioners' autonomy, meanwhile some pondering issues pinpointed through the qualitative phase of the study.

This study investigated the differences in the type and frequency of strategy use by four proficient and four less-proficient readers. Thirty female senior undergraduates majoring in TEFL at a university in Iran were given a reading comprehension test. Based on the results of their reading test, eight were chosen based on a nonrandom purposive sampling technique to take part in the study. They were required to read an expository text in English (L2) and at the same time think aloud. The strategies that emerged from the think-aloud protocols were coded and categorized based on Oxford's (1990) taxonomy of language learning strategies. (Contains 10 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer an example of how ontology, such as CIDOC, can be turned into a format from the perspective of an object. In fact, it illustrates the possible semantic analysis of an object description into a view neutral machine-interpretable form. The aim is to show that a museum object located in a museum can be described in detail and then related to other information objects located in other memory institutions such as libraries and archives. Design/methodology/approach: Studying different documents, all the information about Imam Reza's Zarih 4th was derivated. Then the most important were listed and represented in detail, according to CIDOC CRM entities. Findings: The figures explicitly reveal the existing semantic correlations between the heterogeneous cultural heritage information in various memory institutions, such as Organization of Libraries, Museums and Documents Centre of Astan Quds Razavi. Originality/value: The authors capture the knowledge from different resources and relate them in a semantic description with the aid of a semantic conceptual model like CIDOC CRM, to show more effective information integration in a cultural institution such as Organization of Libraries, Museums and Documents Centre of Astan Quds Razavi, in order to provide unified access to collection-level information. (Contains 2 figures and 5 notes.)

Ticks are blood‐sucking parasite and transmit pathogens to humans, domestic and wild animals. Ticks are seriously damage the production of sheep and goats, resulting in heavy economic loss to farmers. The present study investigated microscopic and molecular identification of ticks and tick‐borne anaplasmosis infesting sheep and goats in three agro‐ecological zones of Pakistan. The collected ticks were identified at species level based on their morphological features through microscopy by using taxonomic keys. Four Rhipicephalus (R.) species namely: R. guilhoni Rh. geigyi, R. annulatus, R. pulchellus, two Haemaphysalis (Hae) spp. Hae. sulcate, Hae. punctate, one Ixodes ricinus and Hyalomma anatolicum were identified. The morphological variations in their body sizes, scutal pattern, female genital opening, spiracular plate length and male adanal plate were recorded. Furthermore, we assessed the effectiveness of utilizing the 16S rRNA gene sequence to differentiate Anaplasma samples at the species level. Microscopically suspected positive blood samples for Anaplasma were subjected to DNA extraction. Anaplasma was observed in the blood of 14 animals. The sequence similarity between Anaplasma marginale and the reference genome were 99.25%, while below this value indicating a distinct species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close similarity with A. marginale isolates from Iran, Vietnam and Pakistan This study contributes to the epidemiology of ticks and TBPs in the KP province and highlights the importance of proactive TBP surveillance in livestock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pythium sensu stricto (s.s.) and Globisporangium species are important components of the soil microbial community and exhibit diverse lifestyles, including mycoparasitism. However, a comprehensive understanding of the species diversity of these mycoparasites in the West Azarbaijan province of Iran is lacking. In this study, a total of 114 mycoparasitic Pythium s.s. and Globisporangium isolates were obtained from agricultural soils collected from six regions in the province. Through DNA barcoding, all Globisporangium isolates were identified as G. nunn, while the barcode markers were insufficient to accurately resolve species boundaries in Pythium s.s. By combining morphological and multilocus sequence data, five species within the genus Pythium s.s. were identified: P. salmasense sp. nov., a potentially new species, and three known species, P. acanthicum, P. ornamentatum, and P. periplocum. Pythium ornamentatum was the most common species and found in all regions studied, followed by G. nunn and P. acanthicum, which were both isolated from four regions. While the isolates of G. nunn showed no mycoparasitic activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, all Pythium s.s. species were capable of infecting the hyphae of this pathogen. The existence of mycoparasitic species is promising for biological control of soil‐borne fungal pathogens in the province. The widespread occurrence of P. ornamentatum, G. nunn, and P. acanthicum may suggest their adaptation to local soil and environmental conditions, indicating their potentially superior effectiveness in controlling plant diseases across different regions if used as biocontrol agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphids constitute a significant cohort of herbivorous insects, primarily nourishing themselves by extracting plant sap, sometimes posing a notable threat to plant health. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation into the aphid fauna associated with Carthamus in Iran, unveiling 18 species across 11 genera within the Aphididae. Furthermore, 31 associations between aphid species and host plants were recognized, of which two are new for Iran. Our study expands upon prior knowledge by documenting three new occurrences, shedding light on previously unrecorded aphid species in Isfahan and Razavi Khorasan provinces. In addition, we describe the previously unknown male of Uroleucon carthami, offering insights into its life cycle and reproductive strategies. An identification key to the apterous viviparous female aphids living on Carthamus in Iran is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus, Turanobiusgen. n. (Araneae: Oecobiidae: Oecobiinae), is described from Iran and Central Asia, comprising the following four species: T. ferdowsii (Mirshamsi, Zamani and Marusik, 2017) comb. n. (♂; Iran, Kazakhstan), T. hissaricussp. n. (♂; Tajikistan), T. leptonychussp. n. (♂♀; Tajikistan), and T. tadzhikus (Andreeva and Tyshchenko, 1969) comb. n. (♂♀; Tajikistan); both new combinations are ex. Oecobius Lucas, 1846. Known distribution records of all four species are mapped. Additionally, a discussion is presented on the taxonomy of Oecobius and the potential revalidation of several genera currently considered synonymous with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation into oomycete diversity in rice paddies of Fars Province in Iran led to the identification of two new Pythium sensu lato (s.l.) species as Globisporangium izadpanahii sp. nov. and Pythium banihashemianum sp. nov. The identification was based on morphological and physiological features as well as on the phylogenetic analysis of nuclear (ITS and βtub) and mitochondrial (cox1 and cox2) loci using Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood. The present paper formally describes these two new species and defines their phylogenetic relationships with other congeneric species. According to multiple gene genealogy analysis, G. izadpanahii sp. nov. was grouped with other species of Globisporangium (formerly, clade G of Pythium s.l.) and was closely related to both G. nagaii and the recently described G. coniferarum. The second species, designated P. banihashemianum sp. nov., was grouped with other species of Pythium sensu stricto (formerly, clade B of Pythium s.l.) and, according to the phylogenetic analysis, shared an ancestor with P. plurisporium. The production of globose hyphal swellings was a major characteristic of G. izadpanahii sp. nov., which did not produce vesicles and zoospores. In pathogenicity tests on rice seedlings, P. banihashemianum sp. nov. isolates were highly pathogenic and caused severe root and crown rot, while G. izadpanahii sp. nov. isolates were not pathogenic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Three populations of Pauronemoides siddiqii n. gen., n. sp. were recovered from three different locations in northwestern and northern Iran from bark and soil samples. The new genus was described and illustrated based upon morphological and molecular characteristics. Pauronemoides n. gen. belongs to the family Paurodontidae and is characterised by the medium-sized body, asymmetrical knobs in stylet base, stem-like extension into intestine, post-vulval uterine sac (PUS) absent or rudimentary, different tail tip shape between sexes, and bursa enveloping tail or reaching to the tail end. The type species, Pauronemoides siddiqii n. gen., n. sp., is mainly characterised by 752-1281 μ m body length in females and 660-1085 μ m in males, six equally-sized lips, stylet 9-11 μ m long with asymmetrical knobs, six incisures in lateral fields forming five bands, three of which (two outers and one central) are wider, and variably lengthened stem-like extension projecting into the intestine. Vulva situated posteriorly (V = 87.7-91.7%), PUS absent. Conical tail with widely rounded end, having a small mucron at tip in females, males with conical tail ending to a narrower tip and bursa enveloping tail completely. The type species of the new genus was compared with all known species of the genera Prothallonema , Paurodontus , Paurodontoides and Paurodontella. Pauronemoides siddiqii n. gen., n. sp. resembles Prothallonema macrocellum and P. mucronatum by having the bulb extension penetrating into the intestine, dimorphism in tail shape of both sexes and bursa enveloping tail, and Paurodontella iranica by tail shape dimorphism between sexes and bursa ending near tail tip. Therefore, the above-mentioned species are transferred to the new genus as Pauronemoides macrocellus n. gen., n. comb. (= Prothallonema macrocellum), P. mucronatus n. gen., n. comb. (= Prothallonema mucronatum) and P. iranicus n. gen., n. comb. (= Paurodontella iranica). In addition to morphological comparisons, molecular phylogenetic analyses were performed using two sequences of small subunit (SSU), and three partial sequences of D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit (LSU) rDNA, and the resulting topologies were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomic classification of the genus Crocus has undergone substantial revisions over the past half‐century. Likewise, over the last two decades, the number of known species in Iran has tripled with the discovery of 16 additional species. Despite these noteworthy recent findings, there is a lack of an updated taxonomic revision that encompasses all these newcomers. This revision of the genus in Iran is based on comprehensive morphological examinations conducted on fresh plant material collected in the field, cultivated plants, herbarium specimens, and an extensive literature review. Presently, 24 species are recognized in Iran. They are classified into two sections: Crocus and Nudiscapus. Notably, 18 species (75%) are endemic to Iran, with 14 among them being steno‐endemics, the five remaining species are subendemic elements whose distribution is limited to Iran and the adjacent countries. An identification key to all 24 recognized species is presented, accompanied by illustrations, detailed descriptions, distribution maps and information on the conservation status of each species. According to the IUCN criteria, the conservation status of all species, excluding C. caspius, C. damascenus,C. haussknechtii and C. michelsonii is at an alarming level. This revision aims to resolve ambiguities in the Iranian Crocus taxonomy, and offers the opportunity to collectively examine all previously described species in one comprehensive contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entomopathogenic fungi play a significant role in regulating insect populations in nature and have potential applications in pest management strategies in different regions. Citrus spp. are among the important horticultural products in northern Iran, and the orchards are affected by different insect pests, especially mealybugs. This study aimed to isolate and identify entomopathogenic fungi associated with citrus orchard pests in northern Iran, focusing on Akanthomyces and Lecanicillium species on mealybugs. Through the samples collected from different regions within Guilan province, 12 fungal isolates were collected and identified based on the combination of morphological characteristics and molecular data. Akanthomyces lecanii, A. muscarius, Engyodontium rectidentatum, Lecanicillium aphanocladii and Lecanicillium rasoulzarei sp. nov. were identified. Of these, A. muscarius on Lepidosaphes sp., E. rectidentatum on Coccidae, and L. aphanocladii on Tetranychus urticae are reported as new fungal-host records from Iran. Moreover, a new species, Lecanicillium rasoulzarei, is illustrated, described, and compared with closely related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Upper Cretaceous of the Middle East, rotaliid Foraminifera have conventionally been attributed to Rotalia skourensis Pfender (= Rotorbinella skourensis), a key element of biozones #30 and #31 as commonly recognized in the Iranian Zagros. However, R. skourensis is a Paleocene species and is morphologically distinct from the rotaliid specimens present in the Upper Cretaceous of theMiddle East. Through detailed sampling of the Ilam Formation (Turonian?--Campanian) in the Zagros basin, two new species previously classified as R. skourensis have been described. Rotorbinella pachypila n. sp. andOrbitokathina parva n. sp. contribute to our understanding of the diversity of rotaliids during the Late Cretaceous of the Arabian Plate and highlight biogeographic connections with the western Tethys carbonate platform domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxynoemacheilus chaboras, new species, from the stream Beyazsu in the Euphrates drainage, belongs to the O. persa species group, being closely related to O. shehabi from the Orontes, O. sarus from the Seyhan and Ceyhan, O. euphraticus from the Euphrates and Tigris, O. karunensis from the Karkheh, and O. persa from Central Iran. The new species is distinguished from others in the O. persa group by having 8–9 pores in the supraorbital canal, two distinct black blotches at the caudal-fin base, a rudimentary and shallow pelvic axillary lobe, 6–10 irregularly shaped bars on the flank, and a deep head, body, and caudal peduncle. Oxynoemacheilus chaboras sp. nov. is most closely related to O. euphraticus, from which it is differentiated by a mean uncorrected p-distance of 3.24% (min. 3.09%) in its COI barcode gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpions) are one of the medically important oldest arthropods. They have been one of the humans' interests in terms of special morphology, painful stings, mortality, and behavioral attractions for many years. Diagnosis of scorpions is based on morphological characteristics and molecular methods. But, one of the most important and fundamental problems of identifying the Iranian scorpions is the lack of a comprehensive method. Due to the fact that a relatively long time has not passed since the classification of scorpions in Iran and there are no definitive divisions about the genera and species in the country, the current pictorial key was provided to identify the Iranian scorpions. In this study, various methods were used to catch the scorpions. For preparing the pictorial key, different genera of scorpions were collected from urban, rural, plain, and mountain areas in different parts of Iran as well as some archived specimens from the medical arachnid's Museum of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were used from 2010 to 2020 collection boxes. The key presented in this study was prepared only based on morphological features. It was necessary to remind a few points about this key and its use. Considering the above-mentioned points, this key was provided for 16 genera, 64 species, and 3 families of Iranian scorpions, and the results of other researchers are included in it. The study of various aspects of scorpion life, especially faunistic studies has been recently considered in Iran. Various methods such as molecular methods and composition of scorpion venom can be used for classification, the most common of which are morphological features that have a long history. Therefore, the need to provide a key to detect scorpions in the country has a special priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are 33 aphid species reported so far on Lamiaceae plants in Iran. In this research, a total of 19 aphid species belonging to 12 genera were collected on 20 host plant species. Furthermore, 33 associations between aphid species and host plants were recognized, of which six are new for Iran. Among the examined specimens, an Ovatus species collected on Mentha longifolia showed a complete range of intermediate biometric data of O. mentharius (van der Goot, 1913) and O. archangelskajae Kadyrbekov, 2008. In view of the biometric data from samples of Iran, we conclude that O. archangelskajae is a geographical variant of O. mentharius, therefore we consider it as a synonym for O. mentharius and redescribe O. mentharius as its morphological entities are extended. In this paper, the distribution of the aphid species in different parts of Iran is also presented and six new occurrences are reported for Fars and Kerman provinces. An identification key to the apterous viviparous female aphids living on Lamiaceae in Iran is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is focused on the species belonging to the genus Maiestas Distant, 1917 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae, Deltocephalini) in Iran, based on some specimens collected during 2016 to 2019 from Southeast Iran and species that have been previously reported: M horvathi (Then, 1896), M pruthii (Metcalf, 1967), M schmidtgeni (Wagner, 1939), and M. trifasciata (Lindberg, 1954). M. pruthii, previously known from the Oriental region (India and Pakistan), is recorded for the first time in the Palaearctic region from Southeast Iran and M. horvathi is a new record for the fauna of Sistan and Baluchestan Province. An identification key and distribution maps for the Iranian Maiestas species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The order Orthoptera, including locusts, grasshoppers, mole crickets, crickets and bushcrickets, are generally herbivores. With large-scale and single-crop agriculture development, some locusts and grasshoppers appeared as pests and sometimes caused famine and crisis. The plateau of Iran is the origin of many cereal cultivars. Since some morphological characters, particularly the male internal genitalia in nymphs do not differentiate enough for confident diagnosis; the classical morphological identification of grasshoppers is largely based on the characteristics of adults. However, identifying the nymphs is very important in the field from the economic point of view, because most crop loss is due to the nymphal damage. Although accurate molecular determination is possible even in the egg stage, this technique is costly and specialized. Thus, providing cheaper and simpler approaches have rational perspectives. Our studies showed that some morphological features in nymphs could be practised at a genus-level field identification, none of the important grasshoppers related to wheat cultivation in Iran has apterism, and only the macroscopic characteristics of nymphs of two ages before maturity provide the necessary accuracy for field identification. Therefore, from 2019 through 2021, morphological characteristics of developing organs that could be informative for taxonomy in the late-stage nymphs were investigated in 362 nymphs belonging to 22 genera of 8 subfamilies out of 2 families. As a result, some 35 most conservative characters and 79 character-states were extracted. Afterwards, an illustrated key for field genus identification was prepared based on a sort of data. Education and extension of these filed identification outputs can avoid wasting time and money and lessen pollution of the environment with hazardous chemical agricultural pesticides before any control operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new mite species of Leptus Latreille, 1796 (Acari: Erythraeidae) are described and illustrated based on their larval stages. All mites were collected from grasshopper hosts (Orthoptera: Acrididae) during surveys in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. This study is part of a more extensive survey of the Parasitengona fauna and their grasshopper hosts in diverse terrains along this mountain range, one of the global biodiversity hotspots. Leptus (Leptus) mallahae Kiany, Seiedy & Hakimitabar sp. nov. was collected parasitizing Oedipoda miniata (Pallas, 1771), Acrotylus insubricus (Scopoli, 1786), and Sphingoderus angustus Descamps, 1967. Leptus (L.) etesamiae Kiany, Seiedy & Hakimitabar sp. nov. was collected on Sphodromerus luteipes Uvarov, 1933.Leptus mallahae Kiany, Seiedy, & Hakimitabar in Kiany, Seiedy, Hakimitabar, Kiany & Husemann, 2024 Leptus etesamiae Kiany, Seiedy, & Hakimitabar in Kiany, Seiedy, Hakimitabar, Kiany & Husemann, 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New faunistic and taxonomic data are provided for 18 families of Iranian spiders. Four species, Cryptodrassus liyanicus Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♀, Bushehr Province; Gnaphosidae), Mesiotelus khorasanicus Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♂♀, Razavi Khorasan Province; Liocranidae), Nurscia minuscula Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♀, West Azerbaijan Province; Titanoecidae) and Talanites farsensis Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♀, Fars Province; Gnaphosidae), are described as new to science. Clubiona liachviana Mcheidze, 1997 stat. reval. (Clubionidae) is removed from the synonymy with C. alpicola Kulczyński, 1882 and is reported from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan for the first time; additionally, its previously unknown male is described. The genus Kishidaia Yaginuma, 1960 (Gnaphosidae) and a total of 10 species are recorded in Iran for the first time, and new provincial records are provided for 20 species. Two specimens from Iraq are also reported. Considering the results of this paper, the number of species of spiders known from Iran is increased to 980 species in 329 genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A population of Xiphinema artemisiae was recovered from Iran, representing the first report after its original description from a meadow pasture in northern Caucasus, Russia. The Iranian population was recovered from the rhizosphere of grasses in the Damavand region, Tehran province. The females of the recovered populations are characterised by a lip region separated from the rest of body by a depression, a 5.1-5.6 mm long body, a 129-138 μ m long odontostyle, 76-85 μ m long odontophore, a uterus having a pseudo-Z-organ and crystalloid bodies observed in some specimens, and a short, rounded, dorsally more convex tail with a subcentral mucron, four juvenile developmental stages (the first stage was not recovered) and functional males. The Iranian population is morphologically and morphometrically similar to the type population and minor morphological differences can be attributed to geographical interpopulation differences. Molecular phylogenetic relationships of the Iranian population of X. artemisiae with other species were reconstructed using sequences of three genomic ribosomal markers, viz. small, large subunit D2-D3 and internal transcribed spacer (SSU, LSU D2-D3 and ITS) rDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Deladenus tonekabonensis sp. n. was isolated from dried wood of the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) from the Sehezar forests in Tonekabon city in Mazandaran Province. The new species is characterised by a body length of 655 (561-777) and 592 (488-735) μ m for mycetophagous females and males, respectively, a short stylet (7.5-8.8 μ m) with three knobs backward. Lateral field with ten incisures, and an excretory pore toward the anterior part of the neck, located at 27.5 (22.0-35.5) and 28.0 (21.0-38.0) μ m from the anterior end of the mycetophagous females and males, respectively. The distance of the excretory pore to the hemizonid is 66.0 (59.0-71.0) and 61.0 (57.0-67.5) μ m for the mycetophagous females and males, respectively. Adults have a long overlapping dorsal pharyngeal gland, lacking a post-uterine sac (PUS), and in some specimens a very short post-uterine sac, 2.4-5.1 μ m long, and a conical tail, narrowing towards the tail tip. Males are frequent with slender tylenchoid spicules and a leptoderan bursa reaching the tail tip. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on 28S rDNA placed the new species close to Deladenus and Anguillonema species in a clade with 0.99 posterior probability support. The measurements, line illustration and light microphotographs are given for the new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leucoma wiltshirei Collenette, 1938, is a monophagous pest feeding on green leaves of Quercus brantii Lindl. that can cause complete defoliation. During the studies conducted for the identification of biological control agents for L. wiltshirei, a new braconid wasp (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) was collected from oak forests of Basht county located in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in spring of 2022. Dolichogenidea persicasp. n. is illustrated, described and compared with other species of the genus in Palaearctic, Afrotropical and Oriental regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Latrodectus revivensis Shulov, 1948 is recorded for the first time from Iran based on female specimens. This species was previously recorded from the eastern Mediterranean region. As a result, the number of Latrodectus species recorded from Iran is raised to six. A comparative diagnosis is provided for this species and other widow spiders previously recorded from the country. Latrodectus revivensis can be easily distinguished from its congeners by colouration, genitalic characters and the shape of the nest. This record represents the easternmost distribution limit of L. revivensis. An updated distribution map of Latrodectus species is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report some brachyuran crabs from the late Miocene of Dar Pahn unit, Makran Province, Iran. The studied specimens have been assigned to Ixoides MacGilchrist, 1905, with I. miocenicus n. sp. (Leucosiidae Samouelle, 1819) and Persianus arcuatus n. gen., n. sp. (Portunidae Rafinesque, 1815). Ixoides miocenicus n. sp. represents the first fossil representative of the genus, enlarging its stratigraphic range to the Miocene. Persianus arcuatus n. gen., n. sp. represents the first report of a portunid crab from the Miocene of Iran. We also report an indeterminate majoid crab, representing the first report for the Majoidea from the Miocene of Iran. Finally, one portunid crab is compared with Persianus n. gen. based on some similar morphological characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus of the Nezzazatidae is here introduced as Simplorabanitina simplex gen. et sp. nov. from the Cenomanian Sarvak Formation of south-western Iran. The main architectural constraints used to discriminate the new taxon from its close ally Rabanitina Smout lies in the complete lack of skeletal elements collectively called the ‘median plate’ or ‘complex longitudinal plate’, and by the occurrence of pseudo-keriotheca characterising the chamber wall. The new occurrence increases the number of species of Nezzazatidae throughout the shallow-water carbonate platforms of the Arabian Plate prior to the extinction related to the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, indicating high diversity. Unlike some other Cenomanian Nezzazatidae that have been commonly found from Mexico to the Middle East, the biogeographic affinity of Simplorabanitina n. gen. seems to be restricted to the Arabian Plate and perhaps might also be found in the coeval successions of NE Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pestivirus A Bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 (BVDV-1) is a heterogeneous species within the genus, affecting cattle and other ruminants, with economic impact on livestock production. Aim: The study aimed to update the taxonomy of the Pestivirus A, BVDV-1 species and to verify the clustering of the strains reported as genotype 1v, originating from different countries. Methods: Recently deposited strains from China, Turkey, and Iran have been evaluated by the palindromic nucleotide substitutions (PNS) genotyping method. Results: Based on secondary structure analysis of the 5'-UTR sequences, strains reported as 1v from China were clustered as sub genotype 1.7.3 (1o). Genotype 1.19 (1w) was restricted to China and genotype 1.21 (1v) was present only in Turkey and Iran. Conclusion: The application of the PNS method clarified the taxonomical status of strains, revealing the homonymy of genetically different clusters. Furthermore, these observations indicated geographic segregation in the Pestivirus A species, and confirmed the occurrence of new atypical genetic variants, with potential implications on control and prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study records two Opsius leafhopper species, Opsius richteri (Dlabola) and Opsius stactogallus Fieber from Delhi, India for first time. Earlier Opsius richteri had been described from Iran and Opsius stactogallus is distributed worldwide and now reported from India. This study reveals the new geographic distribution, and the species are redescribed and illustrated herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New data on the oecobiid spiders of the genus Oecobius Lucas, 1846 occurring in Iran and Azerbaijan are provided. Five species are described as new to science: O. dariusisp. n. (♀; Alborz and Tehran ‒ northern Iran), O. melanocephalussp. n. (♀; Lorestan, Razavi Khorasan, Semnan, and Tehran ‒ south-western, northern and north-eastern Iran; hitherto described as the female of O. ferdowsii Mirshamsi, Zamani and Marusik, 2017), O. naxuanussp. n. (♂; Nakhchivan ‒ western Azerbaijan), O. pasargadaesp. n. (♂♀; Fars ‒ south-central Iran), and O. zagrossp. n. (♂; Kermanshah ‒ western Iran). Furthermore, O. navus Blackwall, 1859 is reported in Iran for the first time, and new distribution records are provided for O. putus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 and O. nadiae (Spassky, 1936). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mites of the genus Lasioseius Berlese in Iran are reviewed. New collection data on seven species of the genus are given for Guilan province in Northern Iran. Based on our observations of newly collected specimens, we confirm the synonymy of L. extremus (Daneshvar, 1987) with Lasioseius parberlesei Bhattacharyya as previously proposed by Moraes et al. (2015). In addition, we provide the first description of the male of L. parberlesei in Iran. Moreover, this paper provides a checklist for Lasioseius species recorded from Iran, with a key for identification of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specimens of Ameroseius lidiae Bregetova were found in soil from Ahwaz city, Khuzestan Province, Iran. The previously unknown male of this species is described here. Before the present study, only male of A. corbiculus (Sowerby) had been reported from Iran. A key to males of the genus Ameroseius occuring in Europe is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollen grains of 34 species of eleven genera belonging to three subfamilies (Malvoideae, Grewioideae, Tilioideae) of Malvaceae were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Pollen grains of the studied taxa were radially symmetrical and principally spheroidal, except Grewia makranica Rech.f. & Esfand (prolate), Tilia cordata Miller, and Tilia rubra Dc. (suboblate). Apertures included tricolporate (Tilia cordata and Tilia rubra) to pantaporate (Malvella sherardiana L., Malva verticillate L., Malvalthaea transcaucasica (sosn.) Iljinand Alcea sulphurea (Boiss. & Hohen). Sculpturing was comprised of echinate, microechinate, baculate, granulate, and perforate types. Some qualitative traits in pollen grains are unique to one or a few genera. The observed variations in pollen characteristics are very useful for the delimitation of subfamilies and in some cases are generic specific but these characters are not functional in separating taxa at a specific level or distinguishing suggested species groups in some genera such as Alcea L.. Our results add further support to the current classification of Malvaceae which recognizes the subfamilies Tilioideae, Grewioideae, and Malvoideae but there was no character state in pollen grains to be synapomorphic for Malveae, Hibisceae, and Gossypieae. On the other hand, our results support the separation of Alcea from Althaea. The PCA analysis represents two clades. The first clade contains both subfamilies Grewioideae and Tilioideae. The second clade contains all genera belonging to the subfamily Malvoideae The resulting study emphasizes that some palynological characteristics represent high systematic value, so can be useful for systematic differentiation of Malvaceae. However, palynological evidence along with other characteristics, can be effective in solving the systematic challenges of this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The species-rich subgenus Agrodiaetus Hübner, 1822 is a distinct monophyletic lineage within the diverse blue butterfly genus Polyommatus Latreille, 1804. Although the subgenus has attracted the attention of numerous researchers, a large number of unresolved taxonomic problems persist in Agrodiaetus. In our study, we analyzed the taxonomic structure of the subgenus via combining short mitochondrial DNA barcodes of several extremely rare species, for which multi-locus data were unavailable, with multi-gene mitochondrial and nuclear data for the other Agrodiaetus taxa. This approach resulted in a high phylogenetic resolution of the tree obtained, even for the clades, which were solely represented by DNA barcodes. The status and taxonomic position of the enigmatic species P. muellerae, P. afghanicus, P. frauvartianae, P. bogra and P. anticarmon from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey are revealed and discussed. The complete list of species groups and species of the subgenus Agrodiaetus is presented. The need for multi-gene analysis in evolutionary and taxonomic studies is generally accepted. However, the sequencing of multiple genes is not always possible. For various reasons, short mitochondrial DNA barcodes are the only source of molecular information for some species in many genera, although multi-locus data are available for other species of the same genera. In particular, such situation exists in the species-rich butterfly subgenus Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus). Here, we analyzed the partitioning of this subgenus into species groups by using three data sets. The first data set was represented by short mitochondrial DNA barcodes for all analyzed samples. The second and third data sets were represented by a combination of short mitochondrial DNA barcodes for part of the taxa with longer mitochondrial sequences COI + tRNA-Leu + COII (data set 2) and with longer mitochondrial COI + tRNA-Leu + COII and nuclear 5.8S rDNA + ITS2 + 28S rDNA sequences (data set 3) for the remaining species. We showed that the DNA barcoding approach (data set 1) failed to reveal the phylogenetic structure, resulting in numerous polytomies in the tree obtained. Combined analysis of the mitochondrial and nuclear sequences (data sets 2 and 3) revealed the species groups and the position within these species groups, even for the taxa for which only short DNA barcodes were available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A population of the genus Devibursaphelenchus was collected from the inner part of the decaying Persian oak tree (Quercus brantii) from Lordegan city of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran. The morphological and molecular characters confirmed the new species, namely D. lordeganensis sp. n. The new species is characterised by female body length (768-1026 μ m), lip region separated from the rest of the body by a slight constriction, obscure lines on lateral fields, stylet length long, slender, wide-lumened, tripartite, composed of a conus with an aperture about half its length, a conophore about equal with the conus, and a shaft, taller than (conus + conophore) length, lacking basal knobs or swelling, excretory pore ca three metacorpal lengths posterior to the base of the metacorpus, post-uterine sac (PUS) (36-67 μ m long; 1.3-3.7 times longer than vulval body diam.), absence or vestigial of rectum and anus, posterior end of the body conical with a rounded tip (in some specimens with a spherical protruded projection at tail tip), males 668 to 815 μ m long, presence of two pairs of caudal papillae (P2 and P3), spicule length (15-17 μ m) with long and wide bladed condylus, triangular rostrum with a blunt tip and small bursa flap ending at the tail tip. The molecular phylogeny based on 28S rDNA revealed that the new species stands close to D. alienae (LC629160) and D. lini (FJ768944, AM396570). The measurements, line illustrations, light microscopy photographs and phylogenetic analysis are given for the new species. In addition, a key to the species of Devibursaphelenchus is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New data on the tarantula genus Chaetopelma Ausserer, 1871 are provided. A new species, Ch. persianum sp. nov., is described based on a single female specimen collected in northwestern Iran, which represents the easternmost record of the genus within its entire known range. Additionally, the correct publication date of Ch. olivaceum C.L. Koch, 1842 is discussed, and the known distribution records of all Chaetopelma species are mapped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Pelophylax has the most controversial taxonomy of any group of western Palearctic frogs. The taxonomic status of the Pelophylax ridibundus sensu lato from Iran is unclear and many populations of this marsh frog have not been examined. Here, we investigate cytogenetic and morphological variation in populations of this species from western and southwestern Iran. The morphometric results revealed that the frogs from these two areas can be largely distinguished in discriminate function analyses. All frogs are diploid and have 2N=26 chromosomes with five large pairs and eight small pairs of chromosomes. These chromosomes are metacentric, submetacentric and subtelocentric. All frogs have three or four pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes. The 6th and 13th pairs of chromosomes are subtelocentric in all western populations, but the position of the third subtelocentric chromosome pair varies. In south-western populations (Bushehr and Deylam regions) the 8th, 9th, and 13th >pairs of chromosomes are subtelocentric, but frogs from Bushehr have one more pair of subtelocentric chromosomes (11th). The second pair of large chromosomes in western populations is submetacentric, but in southwestern populations, the second pair of large chromosomes is metacentric. These differences in the type of chromosomes of P. ridibundus, especially in the presence, absence and number of subtelocentric chomosomes, suggest that the taxonomy of Pelophylax in Iran requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]