Distribution of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in alfalfa fields of Iran’s northern provinces with a new record for the country

Abstract

Alfalfa is an economic crop with a great number of natural or invasive pest species mainly from the Curculionoidea superfamily. The weevil fauna of some parts of Iran has been recently studied, but the knowledge of weevil pests in alfalfa fields is still incomplete. We carried out surveys of 11 localities in five northern provinces of Iran (Razavi Khorasan, Mazandaran, Semnan, Alborz and Hamedan) for two years for species of Curculionidae. A total of 1019 specimens were collected, and 19 species from six subfamilies, seven tribes and 10 genera were identified. The percentage abundance and frequency of each species showed that Hypera postica, Sitona cylindricollis, S. humeralis and S. longulus were important pests in most of the alfalfa fields in Iran’s northern provinces. Moreover, Sitona demoflysi is a new record for Iran.