Mesoprionus persicus, a species distributed in Iran, Iraq and Eastern Turkey, has been described from "South Persia" as Prionus persicus by Ludwig Redtenbacher in 1850 [▽]. In Iran it occurs in the Zagros forest-steppe which is characterised by the presence of Quercus brantii, the beetle's host plant. The species is nocturnal and both sexes fly to sources of artificial light. The main period of flight activity falls within half an hour after dusk but ocassionally females can fly around as late as midnight.

Body length:	20 - 38 mm
Life cycle:	unknown
Adults in:	May - July
Host plant:	Quercus brantii
Distribution:	Iran, Iraq, Turkey

The depicted beetles were collected by M.Rejzek and Lech Kruszelnicki in Iran.

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[▽]
Kollar V. and Redtenbacher L.:
Ueber den Charakter der Insecten-Fauna von Südpersien.
Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, Wien) I: 42-53, 1850.
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