22 Eyl 2025 Pazartesi
Tri-trophic associations of aphidophagous Betasyrphus and Episyrphus species (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae) in different states and territories of India
Abstract : The article explores the tri-trophic relationships among various species belonging to two genera of aphid-feeding hover flies, Betasyrphus Matsumura and Episyrphus Matsumura & Adachi (Syrphidae: Diptera) in India. It identifies five species of Betasyrphus Matsumura: Betasyrphus adligatus (Wiedemann), Betasyrphus fletcheri Ghorpadé, Betasyrphus isaaci (Bhatia), Betasyrphus linga Ghorpadé, and Betasyrphus serarius (Wiedemann), alongside two species of Episyrphus Matsumura & Adachi: Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer) and Episyrphus viridaureus (Wiedemann) that are known to prey on aphids in India. Among these, Betasyrphus serarius (Wiedemann) and Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer) are particularly polyphagous, with the former feeding on 33 species of aphids and the latter on 57 species. All the Betasyrphus species have been documented on 36 species of aphids that infest 64 species of host plants across 17 states and union territories in India. In contrast, both species of Episyrphus have been observed feeding on 57 species of aphids that infest 108 host plants in 21 states and union territories of India. The majority of the tri-trophic associations (triplets) for Betasyrphus spp. were recorded in Uttarakhand (22 triplets), followed by West Bengal (18 triplets), while for Episyrphus spp., the highest records were in Uttarakhand (45 triplets) and Uttar Pradesh (38 triplets). Notably, there have been very few efforts to document these aphidophagous hover flies in India. Many areas still remain unexplored, highlighting the need for a thorough survey plan to identify them in those regions.