Correspondence –Notes 385 ences, Graduate University of Advanced Technol- <http://www.aphidsonworldsplants.info/>, accessed at: 2015.07.10. ogy, Kerman, Iran. Ghosh, L.K., Pramanik, N.K. (1976): First record of sexuale of Lio- somaphis himalayensis Basu and hitherto undescribed morph of L. Key to the apterous viviparous aphid atra H.R.L. from India (Insecta: Hemiptera: Aphididae). News- species living on Berberis spp. in Iran letter Zoological Survey of India 2: 108-109. Hodjat, S.H. (1993): A list of aphids and their host plants in Iran. 1− Siphunculi tapering, not swollen; Siphunculi Shahid-Chamran University Printing & Publication Center, and cauda dark; Marginal tubercles present on Ahwaz, Iran. abdominal tergites 2−4; Cauda with 10−19 hairs Holman, J. (2009): Host plant catalogue of aphids: Palaearctic re- gion. Springer, Berlin. (rarely less than 13); Ultimate rostral segment Raychaudhuri, D.N., Ghosh, L.K., Das, S.K. (1980): Studies on the more than 120 µm Aphis pomi aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) from North and North-west − Siphunculi swollen, with maximum width of India, 1. Insecta Matsumurana 20: 1-42. Remaudière, G., Davatchi, A. (1959): Elbourzaphis et Iranaphias: Gen- swollen part broader than base; Siphunculi and res d'Aphididae (Hom.) nouveaux de l'Iran. Revue de Patholo- cauda pale; Marginal tubercles absent on abdomi- gie Végétale et d’Entomologie Agricole de France 38: 135-147. nal tergites 2−4; Cauda with 5−27 hairs 2 Rezwani, A. (2004): [Aphids on trees and shrubs in Iran]. Plant Pests & Diseases Research Institute, Tehran, Iran. [in Persian]. 2− Siphunculi markedly clavate (Fig. 1), and lack- ing imbrication except near apex; Antennal tuber- Key words: Aphid, New record, Liosomaphis atra, Berberis, cles weakly developed; Cauda with 5−6 hairs…...3 Iran − Siphunculi slightly and uniformly swollen over most of length, narrowing at base and apex, with Article No.: e162201 Received: 22. August 2015 / Accepted: 01. November 2015 spinulose imbrication; Antennal tubercles well- Available online: 09. January 2016 / Printed: December 2016 developed; Cauda with 11−27 hairs Amegosiphon platicaudum 3− Dorsum sclerotic, usually with a complete dark Mohsen MEHRPARVAR shield; Processus terminalis 1.15–1.56 times longer than the base of antennal segment VI Department of Biodiversity, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Liosomaphis atra Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran, − Dorsal abdomen pale; Processus terminalis 0.8– E-mail: [email protected] 1.4 times as long as the base of antennal segment VI Liosomaphis berberidis The biodiversity and aphid fauna of Iran has not A new North American region colo- been extensively studied and there is no complete nized by the Australian millipede information on this important group of insects. It Akamptogonus novarae (Humbert & is expected that more aphid species are present in Iran so that with more extensive investigations the DeSaussure, 1869) (Polydesmida, Para- number of species will increase in the future. doxosomatidae), with a key for the known Paradoxosomatidae species Acknowledgments. This study was supported by the from North and Central America and Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Kerman, Iran, which is greatly the Caribbean Islands. appreciated. I would like to thank Dr. S. M. Mirtadjadinni, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, for Introduced species represent one of the most con- identification of the host plants, and Mr. M. Mihanyar cerning factors in conservation biology, as they and Mr. M. Iranmanesh who helped in collecting the may become a threat for native biodiversity and specimens. ecosystems' equilibrium. Human activity has be- References come a strong dispersal force for organisms of any Blackman, R.L. (2010): Aphids - Aphidinae (Macrosiphini). Field kind, either by actively releasing alien species or Studies Council. by passively transporting colonizers into new Blackman, R.L., Eastop, V.F. (2000): Aphids on the world's crops (An identification and information guide). Second edition. John geographical areas. Although introductions of Wiley & Sons, London, UK. species have been occurring for thousands of Blackman, R.L., Eastop, V.F. (2006): Aphids on the world’s herba- years, their frequency has increased accordingly ceous plants and shrubs. John Wiley & Sons, London, UK. Blackman, R.L., Eastop, V.F. (2015): Aphids on the World’s Plants: with the higher intensity of modern worldwide An online identification and information guide. commercial and non-commercial movements 386 North-Western Journal of Zoology 12(2) / 2016 (Hulme 2009). In the majority of cases, introduced species fail to thrive in the new environments and in fact just a small part eventually become inva- sive and thus a threat for native biota. However, it is important to keep track on introductions, as of- ten we do not fully understand the processes con- trolling biological invasions, and even small changes in biotic or abiotic factors can turn al- ready established alien species into invasive (Mack et al. 2000). Among soil organisms, several millipede spe- cies are currently established outside their original Figure 1. Habitus of Akamptogonus novarae male from ranges. It seems that their introductions are fre- Mexico City, Mexico. quently associated with the commerce of potted plants, and so it is even possible to find tropical species in green houses in temperate to cold lati- tudes (Stoev et al. 2010, Decker et al. 2014). Some of these species have been especially successful and are now present in localities all around the world. This is the case of some polydesmid species of the family Paradoxosomatidae, one of the most diverse groups of millipedes. Paradoxosomatids are naturally present in every continent except Antarctica and North America (Nguyen & Sierwald 2013). They are rep- resented in South America by the tribe Catharo- somatini, but have not been very successful dis- persing northwards. Only two species are known from Central America, Iulidesmus isthmianus (Loomis, 1961) from Panama and I. moorei (Hoff- man, 1977) from Costa Rica. Another species, I. semirugosus (Pocock, 1888) is known from the Car- Figure 2. In situ view of gonopods from: A) Oxidus ibbean island of Dominica, although this could be gracilis, B) Orthomorpha coarctata, C) Chondromorpha the result of an introduction from an unknown xanthotricha, D) Akamptogonus novarae. source (Hoffman 1977). Nevertheless, up to this day four species of DeSaussure, 1869) (Figs. 1, 2D, 3D, 4D), an Austra- diverse origin have colonized more or less suc- lian species sparsely reported along the coast of cessfully several North American territories California (Hoffman 1979, Shelley 2002). Akamp- (Hoffman 1999): Oxidus gracilis (C. L. Koch, 1847) togonus is a small genus in the tribe Australioso- (Figs. 2A, 3A, 4A), currently widespread from matini currently comprising two species, A. nova- Canada to Mexico; Orthomorpha coarctata (DeSaus- rae and A. caragoon Rowe & Sierwald, 2006. Both sure, 1860) (Figs. 2B, 3B, 4B), mostly present seem native to New South Wales, Australia, but around the Gulf of Mexico but also in the Mexican the former is currently widespread and found in Pacific coast (Cupul-Magaña & Bueno-Villegas several Australian territories and also in New Zea- 2006); Chondromorpha xanthotricha (Attems, 1898) land, Hawaii and, as mentioned before, California (Figs. 2C, 3C, 4C), known from several of the An- (Nguyen & Sierwald 2013), indicating a strong po- tilles and a few scattered localities in Mexico and tential as an invasive species. southern Texas (Shelley & Cupul-Magaña 2007). These three species are also known from multiple During separate visits into urban green areas in central areas in Central America and the Caribbean is- Mexico along 2013 and 2014 we observed several indi- lands (Hoffman 1999). viduals of A. novarae, and so it is hereby reported for the Apparently the most recent addition to this first time for this region. Sampling was performed by ac- group is Akamptogonus novarae (Humbert & tive search under stones and logs, under the bark of fallen Correspondence –Notes 387 tion, with codes ERG2955 (O. gracilis), ERG2909 (O. coarc- tata), ERG2956 (C. xanthotricha) and ERG2836 (A. novarae). The species was observed in several localities in the south-western part of Mexico City, in habitats with moderate to high anthropogenic disturbance, at altitudes between 2322 to 2495 meters above sea level (masl). Another population was located in the State of Tlaxcala, in an urban forest with mixed native scrub vegetation and Eucalyptus trees at an elevation of 2311 masl. The precise data for each population is: Mexico City: Jardín Botánico IBUNAM, 19°19'07"N 99°11'36"W, 2326 masl, found under stones and logs in areas of exposed volcanic rock and scrub vegetation in several visits, 20-IX-2013 (1 ♂, 1 immature), 22-I-2014 (1 immature), 20-V- Figure 3. Segments 9 and 10: A) Oxidus gracilis, B) Ortho- 2014 (4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, 4 immatures), 29-VII-2014 (4 ♂♂, morpha coarctata, C) Chondromorpha xanthotricha (seg- 1 ♀); Ciudad Universitaria, 19°19'17"N 99°11'34"W, ment 11 also shown), D) Akamptogonus novarae. 2322 masl, found in a sidewalk by a recently mowed meadow, 7-XI-2013 (1 ♂); Bosque de Tlal- pan, 19°17'46"N 99°12'02"W, 2389 masl, found un- der stones and vegetal debris in scrubland and Eucalyptus plantation on volcanic soil in several visits, 7-XII-2013 (1 ♂), 13-VII-2014 (1 ♂, 2 ♀♀), 22- VIII-2014 (1 ♂, 2 immatures); Colonia Ampliación Miguel Hidalgo, found in a small flower bed, in- side a large piece of partially decayed Yucca log, 19°16'59"N 99°12'38"W, 2495 masl, 4-XII-2014 (4 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 32 immatures); CNAC-DI000386, “Km. 5.5 antigua carretera México-Cuernavaca”, C. Beutel- spacher leg., 15-VIII-1983 (4 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀). Tlaxcala: Parque de la Amistad, San Diego Metepec, 19°17'58.9"N 98°14'41.4"W, 2311 masl, found under vegetal debris in scrubland and Euca- lyptus plantation on sandy soil, 5-VII-2014 (2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀).