Biodiversity of insects associated with safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) crop in Gachsaran, Iran

The present research conducted to see the biodiversity of insects in warm and cool areas from March to April in 2009 at the Gachsaran Agricultural Research Station. A total number of 4261 specimens, which were identified into 31 families and 92 species. Out of total 31 families collected, 10 families were pests, 2 families belongs to predators and beneficial insects and 7 families belongs to parasitoids and beneficial insects and finally, 12 families of insects are saprophage and polyphagous. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the number of insects collected between months. The mean number of insects collected in the month of March, April and May was 34.7, 30.7 and 36.2 respectively. The Basht area is most susceptible host for insects (37.9), while the Gachsaran and Lishter areas is less susceptible (33.5) and (28.4) so both sites not differ significantly in the population of insects. The family Coccinellidae had more population in the Gachsaran-safflower zone (98.3) than the Basht-safflower zone (54.6) and it was significantly similar to the family cicadellidae. Similarly, different families like Aphididae (98.0), Cicadellidae (74), Thripidae (50.0), Curculionidae (26.6), Noctuidae (25.0) and Torymidae (27.3) had higher population in the Gachsaran-safflower zone than in the Basht-safflower area with means of 92.3, 63.0, 42.6, 21.0, 21.6 and 19.3 respectively. Also the families like Nymphalide, Pieridae, Lygaeidae, Papilionidae, Miridae, Pentatomidae, Reduviidae, Geometridae, Gryllotalpidae, Mantidae, Acrididae, Saturnidae and Anthocoridae had mean population of 12.6, 7.4, 12.0, 4.1, 4.4, 8.6, 1.9, 0.5, 7.5, 2.4, 11.3, 3.3 and 8.9.