Vazrick Nazari

University of Padova | UNIPD · Department of Biology

A survey of illuminated medieval manuscripts from Europe reveals depictions of several different methods used in the Middle Ages for catching butterflies. A discussion on the meaning and iconography of lepidopteran imagery in these manuscripts is presented.

Analysis of the DNA barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene from a specimen of the extinct Jamaican sunset moth, Urania sloanus, places this species as a sister to the Central American U. fulgens. We found that all Urania F. species were closely related (<2.8% maximum divergence at COI), with the Cuban endemic U. boisduvalii appearing as...

The Black-veined White Aporia crataegi (Linnaeus, 1758), a common and widespread butterfly ranging from northwestern Africa to Europe and Asia, has been extinct in Britain since the 1920s and is on a steady decline in several other parts of its range. In order to investigate genetic diversity within A. crataegi and its correspondence with current s...

Published in ALI - Associazione Lepidotterologica Italiana Newsletter 2/2023

In light of new evidence from DNA and morphology of male genitalia, we review and clarify the status of nominal lycaenid taxa Hesperia parrhasius Fabricius 1793, Lycaena pandava Horsfield [1829], L. contracta Butler 1880 and Catochrysops ella Butler 1881. We designate a neotype for H. parrhasius and a lectotype for C. bengalia de Nicéville, 1885. T...

Skippers are members of a family of butterflies whose common name reflects the rapid and darting flight of the adults. More than 50 species of skippers (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) are known to feed on rice worldwide, but no species in the genus Ochlodes are among them. During 2019–2022, field season in Northern Iran (Rasht suburbs), caterpillars wer...

We report the first record of the larvae of a species in the butterfly genus Ochlodes (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) feeding on rice and causing notable damage. Based on the results of DNA barcoding of the reared adults and further investigation of male and female genitalia, we revise the status of taxon hyrcana Christoph, 1893 as a subspe- cies of Och...

An overview of the representatives of the family Zygaenidae on stamps is provided. Determinations and erroneous identifications are discussed. Zygaenidae en los sellos (Insecta: Lepidoptera) Resumen Se ofrece una visión general de los representantes de la familia Zygaenidae en los sellos. Se discuten las deter-minaciones y las identificaciones erró...

Citation: Nazari V, Lukhtanov VA, Naderi A, Fric ZF, Dincă V, Vila R (2023) More hidden diversity in a cryptic species complex: a new subspecies of Leptidea sinapis (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) from Northern Iran. Comparative Abstract A new subspecies of Leptidea sinapis from Northern Iran, discovered by means of DNA barcoding, is described as Leptidea...

Extraordinary parallels exist between biological diversification and the evolution of cultural "discrete entities" (i.e. languages, dialects, food, music, dance etc.). Both are the result of the action of replication, variation and selection working on hereditary material, and so the evolutionary mechanisms that give rise to biological diversity (e...

The movements and actions of animals formed a fertile field of divination in Ancient Mesopotamia. Omens predicted what was likely to happen if, among other things, certain insects appeared in a man’s house or in the entrance of a city gate. Tablet 38 in the Akkadian omen series known as “If a city is set on a height” (Šumma ālu ina mēlê šakin) incl...

We provide an updated catalogue of the type material of the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea deposited in the Zoological Museum of Hamburg (ZMH). We report 414 specimens labelled as “types” belonging to nine species (all of valid names), 74 subspecies (44 valid names and 30 synonyms), 59 invalid infrasubspecific names under the ICZN code, and...

Nazari, V. 2021. Lepidoptera in Upper Palaeolithic Art. Antennae 45(2): 66-72.

Entomological postage stamps are unique means of communication of science with the public and have been suggested as effective teaching tools in primary and secondary education. A survey of the taxonomic and other information contained on insect-and arachnid-themed stamps issued globally from 1891 to 2020 reveals that 30% of these stamps contain va...

https://www.extinctionstories.org/2020/06/17/the-coconut-moth-of-fiji/

Tomares hairstreaks comprise about 10 species distributed from Europe and North Africa to Central Asia. The taxonomy of the genus is hampered by the absence of diagnostic characters by which specimens can be unambiguously assigned to species. Our investigation of morphology and DNA barcode variations within and between Tomares species shows that wh...

Levuana iridescens Bethune-Baker, 1906, a day-flying moth purported to be endemic to the Fijian Island of Viti Levu and a former pest of its coconut palm trees, was last observed in 1956 and has been officially declared extinct by IUCN since 1996. The controversial classical biological control method that resulted in the (presumed) demise of this m...

N/A (submission is a Short Communication)

A definitive species list is the foundation of biodiversity and conservation work. As we deal with massive climatic changes in the Anthropocene, knowing which species make up our diverse ecosystems will be critically important if we wish to protect and restore them. The Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies, are the fourth-largest insect order in term...

Lepidotarphius perornatella (Walker, 1864) (Lepidoptera: Glyphipterigidae) is recorded for the first time from North America.

Calinaga (Moore 1857) is a rare and enigmatic Asian butterfly genus whose phylogenetic placement within Nymphalidae has only recently been established. The evolutionary history of Calinaga species however remains unknown. Here we explore the phylogeography of Calinaga using 1310 bp of sequence data from two molecular (mtDNA barcode and ribosomal pr...

Calinaga (Moore 1857) is a rare and enigmatic Asian butterfly genus whose phylogenetic placement within Nymphalidae has only recently been established. The evolutionary history of Calinaga species however remains unknown. Here we explore the phylogeography of Calinaga using 1310 bp of sequence data from two molecular (mtDNA barcode and ribosomal pr...

The Holarctic genus Agonochaetia is reviewed and a new species, Agonochaetia shawinigan Landry, sp. nov. is described from Québec, Canada. In addition, a new glandiductor-bearing genus and species, Canarischema fuerteventura Karsholt, gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from the Canary Islands. Comparative diagnoses, a key to species, illustrations of...

The monotypic genus Neopalpa was described in 1998 by Czech entomologist Dalibor Povolný based on two male specimens from Santa Catalina Island, California, which he named N. neonata. The female of this species was discovered recently based on a DNA barcode match and is described. In addition, a new species with marked differences in morphology and...

Material examined and GenBank accessions

Material examined, localities and GenBank accessions. (XLS)

List of non-tailed primers used in Sanger sequencing to amplify six short, overlapping fragments of the COI-5P barcode region. (XLSX)

Detail on the technologies used—Sanger or NGS—to successfully amplify each fragments (F1-F6) of COI-5P barcode region. To see additional information on primer combinations, reactions attempted on each sample, and download the trace files please go to http://dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-URANIA. (XLSX)

Min, max, and average base coverage for 10 samples amplified using NGS post-QC read filtering. Although the minimum coverage was 0 for all samples (because none of the samples had 100% success), for the final consensus sequence we generally only included regions with a minimum coverage of 10, unless we were absolutely certain that the low-coverage...

The Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) is one of the largest families of microlepidoptera and includes 509 genera and 4570 described species in the world. The family Gelechiidae has been divided into four to six subfamilies, among which the Gelechiinae is the most diverse one with 480 genera and 3400 species (Pogue, 2009; Karsholt, et al. 2013...

A review of butterflies depicted in ancient Egyptian tomb scenes and other artifacts dating from the predynastic period (c. 3000 BCE) until the end of the pharaonic era (c. 100 BCE) reveals a wide spectrum of stylistic changes over time. A cladistic analysis shows relative consistency of style during the Old Kingdom period, copying of old styles du...

The maple leafcutter moth (Paraclemensia acerifoliella (Fitch) (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae) has been discovered in western Canada, feeding on saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia (Nuttall) Nuttall ex Roemer (Rosaceae)), a previously undocumented host. New records are detailed, and historical records are reviewed and assessed. Western populations are co...

A new digital identification tool, “Microlepidoptera on Solanaceae” (http://idtools.org/id/leps/micro/) was developed through the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Identification Technology Program (ITP) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI), with the goal of enhancin...

Three new species of leaf-mining Gelechiidae are described: Xenolechia ceanothiae Priest, whose larvae feed on Ceanothus americanus L. (Rhamnaceae); Gnorimoschema shepherdiae Priest, on Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt. (Elaeagnaceae); and Scrobipalpula manierreorum Priest, on Eunjbia (Aster) macrophylla (L.) Cassini (Asteraceae). Their leaf mines w...

This study reports 30 species of Lepidoptera previously known from either the Palearctic or the Nearctic that are newly recorded as Holarctic. For 28 of these species, their intercontinental distributions were initially detected through DNA barcode analysis and subsequently confirmed by morphological examination; two Palearctic species were first d...

The taxonomic focus of this digital identification tool is two groups of Microlepidoptera: the tribe Gnorimoschemini (Gelechioidea: Gelechiidae) and the Leucinodes group of Crambidae (Pyraloidea). These two taxa include numerous species that feed specifically on Solanaceae and have economic importance. Macrolepidoptera (large moths) that feed on So...

Cacyreus marshalli Butler, 1898 (Lycaenidae) is recorded for the forst time from Turkey.

This study reports 30 species of Lepidoptera previously known from either the Palearctic or the Nearctic that are newly recorded as Holarctic. For 28 of these species, their intercontinental distributions were initially detected through DNA barcode analysis and subsequently confirmed by morphological examination; two Palearctic species were first d...

Report prepared for The Alberta Lepidopterists’ Guild

We investigated the genetic diversity and phylogenetic placement of the butterflies in the genus Colotis and eight related pierid genera using sequence information from two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. To establish the status of species, we initially barcoded 632 specimens representative of all genera and most species and subspecies in thos...

During extensive ongoing campaigns to inventory moths of North America and Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG), northwestern Costa Rica, we discovered that morphologically similar yponomeutid moths were assigned two different names, Atteva ergatica Walsingham in Costa Rica and A. punctella (Stoll) in North America, but had identical DNA barcodes....

Report prepared for Department of Environment, Government of Yukon 30 October 2009

We investigated genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships amongst all known species of Palaearctic butterflies of the genus Melanargia using sequence information from three genes [mitochondrial cox1 barcode region (658 bp), ribosomal 16S rRNA (c. 518 bp), and nuclear wg (404 bp)]. Results show a lack of DNA divergence among several poorly c...

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.5 of the Code, is to conserve the name Papilio danae Fabricius, 1775 (Lepidoptera, PIERIDAE) which, as Colotis danae, is well-established as the valid name for a common and widespread butterfly with many subspecies in circa 50 countries in Africa, Arabia, and Asia. The name is threatened by the pr...

The Gulf of St. Lawrence aster, Symphyotrichum laurentianum (Fernald) G.L. Nesom (Asteraceae), a small annual halophyte endemic to disturbed and highly transient habitats in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is classified as "threatened" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Lepidopteran larvae that are predispersal seed predator...

We inferred the phylogeny and historical biogeography of Parnassiinae species from the western Palaearctic using 825 bp DNA sequence from the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome oxidase I. Investigation of genetic variation revealed several cases of overlap in extent of divergence between traditionally applied taxonomic ranks. In particula...

We tested the taxonomic utility of morphology and seven mitochondrial or nuclear genes in a phylogenetic reconstruction of swallowtail butterflies in the subfamily Parnassiinae. Our data included 236 morphological characters and DNA sequences for seven genes that are commonly used to infer lepidopteran relationships (COI+COII, ND5, ND1, 16S, EF-1al...

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Systematics and Evolution, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta. Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2006. Includes bibliographical references.

Nazari, V.: Butterflies of Iran. 2003. 30 x 21 cm. 564 pages incl. 74 colour plates. Distribution map to each species. Text figures. Text in Farsi with a one page introduction in English. Scientific name to each species incl. original description, synonyms etc. Hardback. ISBN 964-92183-6-X. Available from: http://www.apollobooks.dk/iran.htm

The present document is the first National Report of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Convention o n Biological Diversity. It was drawn up with support from UNDP/GEF as an Enabling Activity through the "National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan" (NBSAP) Project, under the supervision of a Steering Committee, including representatives of the...

17 species of Rhopalocera are reported from Iran for the first time, belonging to suborder Rhopalocera, families Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae and Satyridae. Some are confirmations to previous records. Two individual forms of Danaus chrysippus L. (Danaidae) are firstly recorded from the country. Additional comments are also given.