Investigation of the fauna of Xylophage long-horned beetles (Col.: Cerambycidae) in Astara city

Background and objectives: Long-horned beetles (Col.: Cerambycidae) cause irreparable damage to trees and wood industries. In this regard, attention to the forest and wood entomology for management in the protection of forests and wood industries should grow and develop. This study was conducted to identify the family of long-horned beetles (Col.: Cerambycidae) in Astara city, so that the results are used by researchers and executive bodies of the country.
Methodology: Astara city, situated in the northernmost part of Guilan province, is positioned at Longitude: 48° 52', Latitude: 38° 25', and an elevation of approximately -24 meters from sea level. The climate in this region is characterized as mild and humid, with an average annual rainfall of 1500 mm and relative humidity ranging between 75 and 85 percent. Sampling during the spring and summer of 2019-2021 employed common methods such as sweeping nets, light traps, and direct collection by hand from the trunks of infected trees. Sampling covered various areas, including forest trees, fruit trees, parks, green spaces, rangeland plants and trees, as well as warehouses storing dry and industrial woods, especially timbers imported from Central Asian countries at the customs office of Astara city. Collected samples, placed in closed containers containing the lethal substance ethyl acetate (CH3CH2OC(O)CH3), were transferred to the laboratory. Following pinning and spreading of the samples, characteristics such as the host plant species, collection area, method, collector, and date were documented under each sample. Identification and determination of scientific names utilized various references and identification keys. The collected specimens are housed in the entomology collection of Islamic Azad University, Astara branch.
Results: A survey conducted between 2019-2021 in Astara city identified long-horned beetles (Col.: Cerambycidae), resulting in the collection of samples representing 10 species across 4 subfamilies. In the Prioninae (Latereille, 1804) subfamily, Aegosoma scabricorne (Scopoli, 1763) was collected in Khaneasiab area. Four species were obtained from the Lamiinae (Latreille, 1825) subfamily: Morimus verecundus (Faldermann, 1836) from Sayadlar area, Khaneasiab, around Steel Lake, and Complex No. 2 of Islamic Azad University; Dorcadion talyschense (Ganglbauer, 1884) from Heiran region (distributed in Talesh mountain range); Oberea oculata (Linnaeus, 1758) from Heiran region; and Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795) from timbers imported from Central Asian countries in the customs office of Astara city. Four species were collected from the Cerambycinae (Latereille, 1802) subfamily: Osphranteria coerulescens (Redtenbacher, 1850) with distribution in most areas of Astara city; Cerambyx cerdo (Linnaeus, 1758) from Bibiyanlu Forest Park, Complex No. 2 of Islamic Azad University, Darband Village, and Heiran region; Aromia moschata (Linnaeus, 1758) from around Steel Lake; and Stromatium fulvum (Villers, 1997) in most sampling areas, particularly in decaying industrial and construction wood. From the Parandrinae (Blanchard, 1845) subfamily, only one species, Parandra caspica (Villiers, 1967), was collected from around Steel Lake.
Conclusion: In this survey, 10 species from 4 subfamilies of long-horned beetles (Col.: Cerambycidae) were collected in Astara city. All species had been previously reported by other researchers. Morimus verecundus (Faldermann, 1836), Osphranteria coerulescens (Redtenbacher, 1850), Cerambyx cerdo (Linnaeus, 1758), Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795), and Stromatium fulvum (Villers, 1997) were distributed in most areas of Astara city. Monochamus galloprovincialis was predominantly collected from softwoods imported from Central Asian countries, while S. fulvum was collected from dry wood and other wood industries.