First record of the winter moth Operophtera brumata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in northern Iran

Operophtera brumata (Linnaeus, 1758) is a winter moth with wingless females. It is a serious pest in forestry and fruit cultivation in Europe. We present the first report of its occurrence in Iran. Moths of both sexes and their genitalia are illustrated. The species is distinguishable from its sister species O. fagata (Scharfenberg, 1805) by a smaller male and the presence of two signa on the corpus bursae of female O. brumata. Potential host plants in Iran (mostly cultivated and forestry trees) are compared with those known in Europe. Natural enemies of O. brumata (mainly Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera) are listed.

Keywords:

Operophtera brumata , O. fagata , Iran , winter moth , host-plant