Correcting the record of Miniphila miniago (Freyer, 1840) (Lepidoptera, Noctuinae) from Iran with taxonomic notes

As there was no record of Miniphila miniago (Freyer, 1840) (Lepidoptera, Noctuinae) from Iran in any recent taxonomic catalogs and due to description of its closest species Miniphila persago (Gyulai & Ronkay, 2006) from Iran, the occurrence of M. miniago in Iran which was reported 40 years ago was doubtful. In this study, specimens identified and reported as M. miniago preserved at the Hyke Mirzayans Insect Museum and types of M. persago were evaluated and compared. Result revealed that the old record of M. miniago (Freyer, 1840) from Iran is incorrect and it is indeed M. persago. Diagnostic characters for separating these two closely allied species and data on their distribution are presented.