Major Predatory Diptera (Panorpida: Antliophora) of India

Predatory Diptera are an ecologically important group crucial to regulating prey populations and maintaining ecosystem balance. Diverse predatory families in Diptera have been documented in India, within which the Asilidae, Dolichopodidae, Empididae, Hybotidae, and a few Scathophagidae are well-represented with predatory adults. In contrast, the families whose members exhibit predatory behaviour during their larval stages include Cecidomyiidae, Chamaemyiidae, Chaoboridae, Chironomidae, Chloropidae, Drosophilidae, Muscidae, Phoridae, Platystomatidae, Rhagionidae, Sarcophagidae, Sciomyzidae, Syrphidae, Tabanidae, and Therevidae. Predatory Diptera are mostly understudied in India, with major gaps in the knowledge of their taxonomy, distribution, behaviour, and prey relationships, despite their ecological and economic significance. The 20 predatory Diptera families that have been documented from India are reviewed here, with a focus on their potential for use in biological management initiatives as well as their role as larval and adult predators. The present knowledge on the predatory Diptera in India, their predatory stages and prey species is consolidated in this article, reiterating the vitality for further exploring their ecological and economic potentials.