A contribution to the knowledge of Meloidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) fauna of northeastern Iran

The Meloidae, known as blister beetles, a widespread family of Tenebrionoidea that includes approximately 2500 species, is still scarcely known faunistically in several areas of the world. Because of specific biogeographical feature, Iran harbors a rich diversity of meloids and due to the lack of basic and integrated studies, particularly in eastern parts of Iran, our current knowledge of Iranian meloids should be considered preliminary. In order to improve the knowledge of the meloidae species of north eastern Iran, faunistic investigations on blister beetles of this region were carried out during 2011-2012. Collected specimens as well as deposited specimens in Insect Museum of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad were examined, in detail. As a result, 31 species belonging to 11 genera from 2 subfamilies were identified. Among the identified specimens, 24 species were new for fauna of Khorasan provinces. Ctenopus sinuatipennis Fairmaire (1892) is reported for the first time from Iran.