Location of Iran
There are over 4000 known moth species in Iran . Moths (mostly nocturnal ) and butterflies (mostly diurnal ) together make up the taxonomic order Lepidoptera .
In 2023 the results of a 13-year megaproject about the Lepidoptera of Iran were produced as Lepidoptera Iranica .[ 1] It was published as a special issue of Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History and provides a comprehensive overview of the Lepidoptera of Iran. It involved an international collaboration between 73 researchers, who reviewed published and unpublished data. The project was led and edited by Hossein Rajaei of the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in Germany) and Ole Karsholt of the Natural History Museum of Denmark .
The authors also added hundreds of new records from institutional and private collections. In total, 4,812 butterfly and moth species were documented as part of the project, including the first records of three families and 182 species for Iran. Four species new to science were discovered and several taxonomic changes were proposed. The special issue also provides a historical overview of lepidopterology in Iran, as well as an analysis of Iranian Lepidoptera and an estimate of the number of Lepidoptera species still to be discovered. Finally, a gazetteer of sampling localities is supplied.
The following list provides a subset of known moth species, which have been recorded in Iran . A complete list of Lepidoptera of Iran is included in the External links below.
Hadjina lutosa subflava Hacker and Ebert, 2002
Cryphia eucta Hampson, 1908
Cryphia argentacea Bytinski-Salz & Brandt, 1937
Cryphia eucharista Boursin, 1960
Cryphia salomonis Boursin, 1954
Cryphia klapperichi Boursin, 1960
Victrix sassanica Wiltshire, 1961
Victrix macrosema Boursin, 1957
Dysmilichia mira Brandt, 1938
Dysmilichia phaulopsis Brandt, 1938
Dysmilichia erastrioides Brandt, 1938
Dysmilichia gigantea Brandt, 1941
Stenodrina agramma Brandt, 1938
Caradrina panurgia Boursin, 1939
Heliothis maritima Graslin, 1855
Heliothis nubigera Herrich-Schäffer, 1851
Heliothis peltigera ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Heliothis incarnata Freyer, 1838
Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, [1808])
Schinia scutosa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Periphanes delphinii (Linnaeus, 1758)
Periphanes treitschkei (Frivaldsky, 1835)
Periphanes victorina (Sodoffsky, 1849)
Pyrrhia umbra (Hufnagel, 1766)
Aedophron phlebophora Lederer, 1858
Aedophron venosa Christoph, 1887
Aedophron rhodites (Eversmann, 1851)
Aedophron sumorita Ronkay, 2002
Heliocheilus confertissima (Walker, 1865)
Masalia albida (Hampson, 1905)
Masalia philbyi (Brandt, 1941)
Masalia perstriata fuscostriata (Brandt, 1941)
Phtheochroa aureopunctana (Ragonot, 1894)
Phtheochroa decipiens (Walsingham, 1900)
Phtheochroa durbonana (Lhomme, 1937)
Phtheochroa inopiana (Haworth, [1811])
Phtheochroa jerichoana (Amsel, 1935)
Phtheochroa kenneli (Obraztsov, 1944)
Phtheochroa pulvillana (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851)
Phtheochroa purissima (Osthelder, 1938)
Phtheochroa subfumida (Falkovitsh, 1963)
Phtheochroa syrtana Ragonot, 1888
Phtheochroa variolosana Christoph, 1887
Cochylimorpha alternana (Stephens, 1834)
Cochylimorpha armeniana (de Joannis, 1891)
Cochylimorpha asiana (Kennel, 1899)
Cochylimorpha brandti (Razowski, 1963)
Cochylimorpha diana (Kennel, 1899)
Cochylimorpha discolourana (Kennel, 1899)
Cochylimorpha eburneana (Kennel, 1899)
Cochylimorpha elegans (Razowski, 1963)
Cochylimorpha fluens (Razowski, 1970)
Cochylimorpha fucosa (Razowski, 1970)
Cochylimorpha halophilana adriatica Huemer, 2000
Cochylimorpha kurdistana (Amsel, 1959)
Cochylimorpha langeana (Kalchberg, 1897)
Cochylimorpha montana (Razowski, 1967)
Cochylimorpha nodulana (Möschler, 1862)
Cochylimorpha nomadana (Erschoff, 1874)
Cochylimorpha nuristana (Razowski, 1967)
Cochylimorpha pirizanica (Razowski, 1963)
Cochylimorpha scrophulana Razowski, 1963
Cochylimorpha simulata (Razowski, 1970)
Cochylimorpha straminea (Haworth, [1811])
Cochylimorpha wiltshirei (Razowski, 1963)
Phalonidia manniana (Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1839)
Gynnidomorpha permixtana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Agapeta hamana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ceratoxanthis iberica Baixeras, 1992
Fulvoclysia forsteri Osthelder, 1938
Fulvoclysia rjabovi Kuznetzov, 1976
Fulvoclysia subdolana (Kennel, 1901)
Eugnosta lathoniana (Hübner, [1800])
Eugnosta magnificana (Rebel, 1914)
Aethes argyrospila Karisch, 2005
Aethes bilbaensis (Rössler, 1877)
Aethes conversana (Walsingham, 1908)
Aethes cremonana (Ragonot, 1894)
Aethes deutschiana (Zetterstedt, 1839)
Aethes eberti Sutter & Karisch, 2004
Aethes eichleri Razowski, 1983
Aethes fennicana (Hering, 1924)
Aethes flagellana atlasi Razowski, 1962
Aethes francillana (Fabricius, 1794)
Aethes iranica Razowski, 1963
Aethes kandovana Alipanah, 2009
Aethes kasyi Razowski, 1962
Aethes lateritia Razowski, 1970
Aethes luteopictana (Kennel, 1900)
Aethes margarotana (Duponchel, 1836)
Aethes moribundana (Staudinger, 1859)
Aethes pardaliana (Kennel, 1899)
Aethes persica Razowski, 1963
Aethes prangana (Kennel, 1900)
Aethes scalana (Zerny, 1927)
Aethes spirana (Kennel, 1899)
Aethes tesserana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Aethes williana (Brahm, 1791)
Aethes xanthina Falkowitsch, 1963
Cochylidia implicitana (Wocke, 1856)
Cochylidia moguntiana (Roessler, 1864)
Cochylidia rupicola (Curtis, 1834)
Diceratura ostrinana (Guenée, 1845)
Diceratura porrectana Djakonov, 1929
Diceratura roseofasciana (Mann, 1855)
Diceratura teheranica Razowski, 1970
Cochylis amoenana Kennel, 1899
Cochylis defessana Mann, 1861
Cochylis maestana Kennel, 1899
Cochylis piana (Kennel, 1919)
Cochylis posterana hyrcana (Toll, 1948)
Cochylis roseana (Haworth, [1811])
Cochylis similana Razowski, 1963
Aleimma loeflingiana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Tortrix viridana Linnaeus, 1758
Acleris napaea (Meyrick, 1912)
Acleris variegana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Acleris rhombana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Acleris quercinana (Zeller, 1849)
Acleris sparsana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Acleris lacordairana caucasica Filipjev, 1962
Acleris lorquiniana (Duponchel, 1835)
Acleris forsskaleana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Acleris hastiana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Archips xylosteana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Archips rosana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Archips podana (Scopoli, 1763)
Archips philippa (Meyrick, 1918)
Archips crataegana (Hübner, [1799])
Choristoneura lafauryana (Ragonot, 1875)
Choristoneura hebenstreitella (Müller, 1764)
Argyrotaenia ljungiana (Thunberg, 1799)
Ptycholoma erschoffi Christoph, 1877
Pandemis chondrillana (Herrich-Schäffer, 1860)
Pandemis cerasana (Hübner, 1786)
Pandemis dumetana (Treitschke, 1835)
Pandemis heparana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Pandemis corylana (Fabricius, 1794)
Aphelia christophi Obraztsov, 1955
Aphelia peramplana (Hübner, [1825])
Aphelia ochreana (Hübner, [1796-1799])
Aphelia consica Razowski, 1981
Aphelia viburnana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Clepsis pallidana (Fabricius, 1776)
Clepsis rurinana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Clepsis consimilana (Hübner, 1817)
Alloclita delozona
Alloclita gambiella
Ascalenia acaciella Chretien, 1915
Ascalenia callynella Kasy, 1968
Ascalenia echidnias Meyrick, 1891
Ascalenia imbella Kasy, 1975
Ascalenia kairaella Kasy, 1970
Ascalenia sirjanella Kasy, 1975
Batrachedra amydraula
Bifascia nigralbella (Chretien, 1915)
Bifascioides leucomelanellus (Rebel, 1917)
Bifascioides yemenellus (Amsel, 1961)
Calycobathra sahidanella Kasy, 1968
Eteobalea sumptuosella
Pseudascalenia abbasella Kasy, 1975
Pyroderces argyrogrammos
Anatrachyntis simplex
Ascalenia heterosticta
Ascalenia vanelloides
Ascalenia viviparella
Bifascioides pirastica
Calycobathra calligoni
Calycobathra variapenella
Gisilia lerautella
Pyroderces hemizopha
Acrocercops iraniana Triberti, 1990
Aspilapteryx magna Triberti, 1985
Aspilapteryx tringipennella (Zeller, 1839)
Caloptilia roscipennella (Hübner, 1796)
Calybites phasianipennella (Hübner, [1813])
Cupedia cupediella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855)
Parornix persicella Danilevsky, 1955
Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, 1856
Phyllonorycter blancardella (Fabricius, 1781)
Phyllonorycter corylifoliella (Hübner, 1796)
Phyllonorycter iranica Deschka, 1979
Phyllonorycter platani (Staudinger, 1870)
Phyllonorycter turanica (Gerasimov, 1931)
Polymitia eximipalpella (Gerasimov, 1930)
Polymitia laristana Triberti, 1986
^ Rajaei, Hossein; Karsholt, Ole, eds. (March 2023). "Lepidoptera Iranica" . Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History . 6 (SP1) – via BioOne Complete.