Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2023 | 15(11): 24241–24254

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8461.15.11.24241-24254

#8461 | Received 30 March 2023 | Final received 30 May 2023 | Finally accepted 15 October 2023

 

 

Flies in the high for floral hike? Altitudinal variation in species diversity and composition of Diptera (Insecta) in the eastern Himalaya, India

 

Shuvra Kanti Sinha 1, Santanu Mahato 2, Pravas Hazari 3, Sarmistha Ojha 4, Nandan Jana 5, Niyatee Pandya 6, Amita Hajra 7, Ujjal Ghosh 8 & Silanjan Bhattacharyya 9

 

1,3,5,6 Calyptrate Research Laboratory, Zoology Department, Sreegopal Banerjee College, Mogra, Hooghly, West Bengal 712503, India.

2 Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatti, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India.

2 Biopsychology Laboratory, Institution of Excellence, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysuru, Karnataka 570006, India.

4 CUBEC, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka 560078, India.

7 Department of Zoology, Government General Degree College, Kharagpur II, West Bengal 721149, India.

8 Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests - North Bengal, West Bengal, India.

9 Department of Zoology, West Bengal State University, Barasat, North 24 Paraganas, West Bengal 700126, India.

1 suvrosinha@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 santanumahato94@gmail.com, 3 pravashazari2017@gmail.com, 4 sarmisthaojha95@gmail.com, 5 nandanjana2012@gmail.com, 6 niyatee456@gmail.com, 7 amitahajrasinha@gmail.com, 8 ghosh.u@gmail.com, 9 silanjan@wbsu.ac.in

 

 

Editor: R.M. Sharma, Zoological Survey of India, Pune, India.           Date of publication: 26 November 2023 (online & print)

 

Citation: Sinha, S.K., S. Mahato, P. Hazari, S. Ojha, N. Jana, N. Pandya, A. Hajra, U. Ghosh & S. Bhattacharyya (2023). Flies in the high for floral hike? Altitudinal variation in species diversity and composition of Diptera (Insecta) in the eastern Himalaya, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(11): 24241–24254. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8461.15.11.24241-24254

 

Copyright: © Sinha et al. 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: Financial assistance was provided for the project by the West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB), India [Grant number: 863/3K (Bio)-1/2019; dated 22/07/2019].

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Dr. SK Sinha has 23 years of research experience on the taxonomy and ecology of calyptrate flies. S Mahato is a PhD scholar at SACON, Coimbatore. He has been working on the taxonomy and ecology of Diptera for the last 10 years and has an interest in animal behaviour. P Hazari, N Jana and N Pandya are working with SKS on the diversity and ecology of calyptrate flies. S Ojha is pursuing her PhD in ecology and behaviour of primates and has a special interest in insects. Dr. A Hajra who studies mosquito control, has interests in parasitology and medical entomology. U Ghosh is the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of West Bengal, and his area of interest is biodiversity conservation. Dr. S Bhattacharyya is Professor of Zoology at the West Bengal State University, and he works on ecology and conservation.

Author contributions: Study conception and design, field surveys and communication – SKS; Assistant and support in field surveys – PH, UG & SB; Lab work – SKS, PH, NJ & SM; Data compilation – SM, SO, NJ, NP & AH; Data analysis & the first draft of manuscript – SM & SO; Comments on draft of the manuscript – SKS, AH, UG & SB; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

 

Acknowledgements: We acknowledge the West Bengal Forest Department for the opportunity to study in the Neora Valley National Park as a part of the Biodiversity Assessment Programme. First author (SKS) thanks the West Bengal Biodiversity Board for financial assistance. Thanks, are also due to the principal and head, Department of Zoology, Sreegopal Banerjee College, Hooghly, for laboratory facilities. We also thank Dr. Abhijit Mazumdar and his students of Entomology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, The University of Burdwan for helping in identification of Culicoides specimens. 

 

 

 

Abstract: Species diversity and composition enable us to understand the conservation and management of an ecosystem. There is scarcity of knowledge in understanding the diversity change across the gradients of elevation, especially in the Himalaya. Here, we focused in the eastern Himalaya to investigate the patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity of true flies with relation to variation in altitude. The study was conducted in protected area (Neora Valley National Park) in the eastern Himalaya, India and the survey was conducted at five altitudinal zones (from 500 to 3,000 m). A total of 201 species of Diptera, with 105 genera and 33 families were recorded, of which 25 species are new to the state of West Bengal and seven species are new to India. The species diversity increased with elevation (maximum was near 2,500 m) and most of the flies preferred to be close to bushes with flowers, with a substantial percentage of them being pollinator species. Flies adapt to the various vegetation and climate patterns, which was evident by the abundance of fly species at high altitudes (1,500–2,500 m). Hence, it is very important to implement appropriate actions to protect the diversity of true flies in this Himalayan landscape.

 

Keywords: Elevation gradient, insect diversity, pollination, species composition, West Bengal.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Patterns of species composition and diversity, along with environmental and elevational gradients, provide insights into our understanding of ecosystem conservation. Research trends have shifted toward a greater understanding of the elevation gradient and its impact on species diversity across various geographic regions (Terborgh 1977; Brown 2001; Sanders & Rahbek 2012; Acharya & Vijayan 2015; Marathe et al. 2021). Furthermore, changes in landscape physiology and climatic conditions due to the different gradients of elevation effects the species diversity (Sundqvist et al. 2013). Many studies have documented and described the mechanisms on patterns of diversity with respect to elevational gradient (Acharya et al. 2011a,b; Kraft et al. 2011; Sundqvist et al. 2013; Chun & Lee 2018). In harsher environments at higher elevations, niche differences and relative fitness differences may drive the presence of fewer species (HilleRisLambers  et al. 2012; Kraft et al. 2015). Understanding such patterns and their underlying mechanisms is important for understanding the implications of insect conservation, particularly in the Himalayan regions that are vulnerable to climate change. The Himalaya is unique for examining such gradients and their impact on a variety of habitats with steep altitudinal gradient and unstable climate.

Biogeographical studies of multiple taxa have increased in recent years in various parts of the Himalayas. Most of the studies are focused on birds, plants, and pollinating insects such as butterflies. In the eastern Himalaya, bird species richness is greatest at intermediate elevations (Acharya et al. 2011b), whereas low elevations (<2,000 m) are important for butterfly conservation (Acharya & Vijayan 2015). When it comes to plants, elevation and high temperature have a considerable influence on the distribution and growth of trees (Acharya et al. 2011a). The reduction in tree height and richness noticed beyond 2,300 m, allows herbs to dominate due to climatic constraints (Sharma et al. 2019). In this context, a comprehensive study of true flies (Diptera) is also useful for identifying habitats with conservation value in the Himalayan mountain landscape.

The observed trends showed that most of the current  studies focused on Lepidoptera (Joshi & Arya 2007; Bhardwaj et al. 2012; Acharya & Vijayan 2015; Dey et al. 2017; Sharma et al. 2020) and Hymenoptera (Bharti et al. 2013; Streinzer et al. 2019; Subedi & Budha 2020; Dewan et al. 2021; Marathe et al. 2021). Besides, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera, Diptera is considered one of the principal orders of pollinating insects. Furthermore, flies of families such as Asilidae, Bibionidae, Muscidae, Stratiomyidae, Tabanidae, Tipulidae, Rhagionidae, Limoniidae, Sciaridae also act as bio-indicators of climate change (Frouz 1999; Bizzo et al. 2010; Mezgebu et al. 2019; Montoya et al. 2021) and the main potential pollinators (biotic vector) at high altitudes and latitudes, like in alpine, arctic and subarctic ecosystems where bees are less abundant (Elberling & Olesen 1999; Tiusanen et al. 2016; Lefebvre et al. 2018). Studies also indicate that species diversity and richness of Diptera change with elevation for example, species composition changes along the altitudinal gradient (700–2,500 m) and partitioning between seasonally dry lowland and moist montane evergreen forests on the Doi Inthanon mountain in northern Thailand (Plant et al. 2012; Chatelain et al. 2018), species richness and distribution of Hemerodromiinae and Clinocerinae are changing with the elevational gradient on the Pieniny Mountains in central Europe (Słowińska & Jaskuła 2021). Therefore, it is important to investigate their community composition across different environmental and elevational gradients in the Himalayas. The objective of this study was to investigate the variation of species composition and distribution of Diptera fauna in the eastern Himalaya between 500 m and 3,000 m elevation gradient.

 

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 

Study area

The study was conducted in the Neora Valley National Park which covers an area of 159.78 km2. The park has diverse ecosystems with a wide range of elevation gradients (183–3,200 m), located near the ecological tri-junction of West Bengal, Sikkim (India) and Bhutan on the northeast (26.8675–27.1263 0N; 88.750–88.8333 0E). It is considered as crowning glory of the state of West Bengal (Mallick 2010). The study area is an east Himalayan moist mixed deciduous forest (Champion & Seth 1968), with lower areas (up to 1,800 m) recognized as subtropical mixed broadleaf forest, lower temperate evergreen forest, and upper areas (1,800–3,200 m) recognized as upper temperate mixed broadleaf forest and Rhododendron forest (Mallick 2012). The study area was divided into five categories based on the vegetation composition—Lower Hill Forest (<762 m), Middle Hill Forest (762–1,676 m), Broad-leaved Forest (1,676–2,133 m), Oak Forest (2,133–2,500 m) and Rhododendron Forest (>2,500 m) (Figure 1).

 

Field methods

The survey was conducted at 14 different locations (forest camps) between March 2018 and September 2021 as part of the Biodiversity Assessment Programme (organized by the Department of Forest, Government of West Bengal), using pre-set representative trail transects in representative elevations (Table 1). In each camp sites, four to five surrounding areas were surveyed from 0800 to 1500 h (7 hours). The flies in the different habitats were observed and collected by the first author, which were then classified (Table 2). During the field survey, insect collecting hand nets and one malaise trap were used to collect true flies. Average hand net collection time was 3–4 hours and malaise trap was used accordingly to the suitability of the terrains. Insect hand net specimens were paralyzed by benzene vapour in a killing jar and stored in an envelope for future use. Specimens were also pinned (No. 2) in the field and stored in an insect box. Specimens collected by malaise trap were sorted by sub-family and stored in 70% alcohol.

 

Identification of species

In the laboratory, collected insects were placed in a wet chamber overnight before being pinned by inserting an insect-pin slightly laterally through the pro-thoracic segment. Pinned specimens were labeled with the location of collection, date, altitude, and substances on which the flies were found. The flies were taxonomically identified using chaetotaxy key (Senior-White et al. 1940; Emden 1965; Shinonaga & Kano 1971; Crosskey 1976; Nandi 2002; Scudder & Cannings 2006; Buck et al. 2009; Joseph & Parui 2012) under a stereoscopic binocular microscope, and genitalia of male individuals were dissected in some cases for confirmation of identification. The specimens of Culicoides were separated and stored in different microcentrifuge tubes (1.5 ml) containing 70% ethyl alcohol. After mounting the adults on a slide using the phenol-balsam technique mentioned by Wirth & Marston (1968), the midges were identified using the identification keys used by Wirth & Hubert (1989) under a compound microscope. Following the identification keys used by Borror & Delong (1970), specimens were identified up to the suborder level, Nematoceran flies were identified up to the family level, and rest of the flies were identified up to the order level.

 

Analysis

A map of the study area indicating all sampling sites was prepared using QGIS software (version 3.16.11). The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated using a December 2019 (Landsat 8) satellite image. This month was chosen for its peak forest vegetation as it is just post-monsoon and to minimize the effect of atmospheric load on remote sensing data due to lower moisture content in the air. The remote sensing data (Landsat 8 image) was obtained from USGS Earth Explorer (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/). In ENVI software, the captured image was radiometrically corrected and normalized. The NDVI was employed to determine vegetation on the ground. It is used to monitor and detect changes in vegetation and land cover. The image was classified based on the NDVI value.

The indices like α-diversity index, Simpson’s index and Shannon-Weiner Index were measured to understand the species richness and species evenness of flies in the study area (Krebs 1999). The correlation between the diversity indices like Shannon-Weiner Index and Simpson’s Index with the elevation of all sites were done. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were estimated between altitude for all the study sites and the occurrence of fly species (Bhardwaj et al. 2012). IBM SPSS Statistics 20, PAST Version 4 software and Microsoft Excel were used for analyzing the data and preparing different diagrams. A QQ-plot was done to understand the distribution pattern of all species in 14 sites. This has been done using elevation and Simpson’s Index.

 

 

RESULTS

 

Collection and identification of 201 species belonging to 105 genera and 33 families were enumerated (Table 3). Members of the Muscidae dominated the area with 66 species followed by Syrphidae (33), Calliphoridae (17), and Tachinidae (12). A total of 25 species are reported as new records to West Bengal and seven being new to India (Table 3). Within the newly reported species in West Bengal, 13 belonged to Muscidae.

When the total number of native species (201 species) was taken into account, the accumulation curve tended to stabilize after 12 sampling efforts (Figure 2). Spatial patterns of species distribution over various habitats were observed (Figure 3). It was found that the most of the flies preferred flowering plants (32.77%), followed by non-flowering plants (27.14%) throughout the region, and the least number of flies (1.41%) were found in areas near streams.

In general, comparison of distribution of species and families across all 14 sites revealed that Chaudaferi (S13) and Alubari (S14) were high in diversity with respect to families, in the higher elevation (Figure 4). On the other hand, Mouchuki has the highest number of families, having moderate number of species.

A graphical representation is made with respect to centroid position of both the variables (indices and elevation) in Figure 5. The centroid is the intersection point of means of both Simpson’s index and elevation. It is the same in case of Shannon-Weiner index and elevation. It shows that, the Simpson’s indices of most of the sites are near the centroid, indicating it is in a normal distribution. Here, maximum number of flies are found within the range of 1,500–2,500 m. Likewise, the Shannon-Weiner indices of most of the sites are very near to the centroid and similarly, the maximum number of flies are found within the range of 1,500–2,500 m. So, Pearson’s correlation test (Figure 6) between Simpson’s Index and elevation was performed which reveals that, there is a negative correlation between them (r = -0.108). On the other hand, a correlation test between Shannon-Weiner Index and elevation reveals that there is a positive correlation but very less association between them (r = 0.092). Another correlation was done among the 14 sampling sites to find out what kind of association prevails on basis of abundance of flies. A QQ-plot showed that the observed values (estimated quantiles) were normalized (Figure 7). A rarefaction curve was generated on the basis of all 14 sites, which showed the abundance and species richness at high altitude sampling sites (Figure 8).

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

This is the first elaborate survey of dipteran fauna from the Neora Valley National Park along the elevation gradient. A total of 201 flies from 105 genera and 33 families were documented. Recently, Sinha et al. (2021) reported 31 species of family Muscidae from Neora Valley, including two species, Limnophora (Heliographa) ceylanica and Neomyia pacifica recorded for the first time in India. A new species, Heligmonevra paruii (family Asilidae) was described and illustrated from Neora Valley by Naskar et al. (2019), but it was not recorded in the present investigation.

Diptera are the primary potential pollinators at high altitudes and latitudes where bees are scarce. In the eastern Himalaya, the diversity of Syrphidae reflected the supremacy of these flies over other pollinator insects such as honeybees at the higher altitudes (Sinha et al. 2022). Studies found a similar pattern in the tropical region, such as Doi Inthanon mountain in northern Thailand (Plant et al. 2012; Chatelain et al. 2018). Even as we move farther north, the proportion of dipteran species in the total pollinator fauna grows with latitude, and they are the most common families of flower-visiting insects in the arctic (Elberling & Olesen 1999; Tiusanen et al. 2016; Lefebvre et al. 2018). In the light of this, we assessed the species richness and distribution pattern of Diptera at various elevations in the eastern Himalaya, with the highest number of flies found between 1,500 and 2,500 m. This is most likely because there are large amount flowering plants. On the contrary, in the lower elevation (1,500 m), there is dense forest with fewer fly species. Less fly species live in higher elevation areas comprising Maling bamboo forests. Furthermore, it becomes windy higher up (>2,500 m), and that area is covered with Rhododendron and wild rose plants, which reduces fly activity.

Muscidae (32.83%) and Syrphidae (16.41%) were the most abundant families at all of our sample sites. This could be due to their ability to survive in environments ranging from extremely low to extremely high elevation. Members of these families can also be found at all of the sites in a habitat that is relatively bushy and densely populated with flowering plants. Muscidae is the most common family of flower-visiting insects in the Arctic region, and they are much more abundant and widespread than the insects of other dipteran families which like to visit flowers (Elberling & Olesen 1999).

Pollinator communities are changing dramatically as a result of climate change (González-Varo et al. 2013; Rafferty 2017). However, there are large gaps in our understanding of the role of Diptera in pollination networks in the Himalaya in relation to climate change. Although our findings suggest that more sampling is required to obtain a complete picture of the study area, plant-Diptera interactions also need to be examined.

 

 

Table 1. Detail of the sampling sites in Neora Valley National Park, India.

Site no.

Site names

Latitude

Longitude

Elevation (m)

Forest Types

S1

Ashalay

27.013

88.769

686

Lower Hill Forest

S2

Ambeok Basti

27.025

88.713

952

Middle Hill Forest

S3

Mouchuki

27.027

88.786

1170

Middle Hill Forest

S4

Gogune

27.049

88.826

1525

Middle Hill Forest

S5

Tempola

27.077

88.779

1757

Broad-leaved Forest

S6

Kolbung

27.095

88.681

1810

Broad-leaved Forest

S7

Thosum Khola

27.074

88.791

1861

Broad-leaved Forest

S8

Thamkharka

27.098

88.691

1952

Broad-leaved Forest

S9

Thosum Peak

27.078

88.771

2043

Broad-leaved Forest

S10

Dolay

27.072

88.706

2050

Broad-leaved Forest

S11

PHE Camp

27.097

88.725

2158

Oak Forest

S12

Jaributi

27.104

88.721

2196

Oak Forest

S13

Choudaferi

27.093

88.702

2356

Oak & Rhododendron Forest

S14

Alubari

27.128

88.720

2540

Rhododendron Forest

 

Table 2. Types of Habitats found in the study sites.

No.

Habitat type

Codes

1

Animal, human dung, decaying fruits

AD

2

Bushes

B

3

Flowering plant

F

4

Human settlement

HS

5

Moist surface

MS

6

Near stream

NS

7

Open spaces/ Rock surface

OS

8

Shade area

S

 

 

Table 3. Detail of recorded Diptera species in Neora Valley National Park, India.

No.

Family

Subfamily

Species

Records*

Sources

1

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiinae

Anthomyia sp.1

 

 

2

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiinae

Anthomyia sp.2

 

 

3

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiinae

Delia platura

 

 

4

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiinae

Paregle densibarbata

 

 

5

Anthomyiidae

Pegomyinae

Pegomya sp.

WB

Suwa 1981

6

Asilidae

Laphriinae

Maira longirostrata

 

 

7

Asilidae

Laphriinae

Maira sp.

 

 

8

Asilidae

Laphriinae

Nusa bengalensis

 

 

9

Asilidae

Laphriinae

Nusa sp.

 

 

10

Asilidae

Stenopogoninae

Microstylum sp.

 

 

11

Bibionidae

Pleciinae

Penthetria japonica

 

 

12

Bibionidae

Pleciinae

Plecia assamensis

WB

Mukhopadhyay et al. 2015

13

Blephariceridae

Blepharicerinae

Blepharocera sp.

 

 

14

Bombyliidae

Anthracinae

Anthrax sp.

 

 

15

Bombyliidae

Anthracinae

Villa sp.

 

 

16

Calliphoridae

Ameniinae

Silbomyia asiatica

 

 

17

Calliphoridae

Calliphorinae

Aldrichina grahami

 

 

18

Calliphoridae

Calliphorinae

Calliphora sp.

 

 

19

Calliphoridae

Calliphorinae

Calliphora pattoni

 

 

20

Calliphoridae

Calliphorinae

Calliphora vicina

 

 

21

Calliphoridae

Calliphorinae

Calliphora vomitoria

 

 

22

Calliphoridae

Chrysomyiinae

Chrysomya pinguis

 

 

23

Calliphoridae

Luciliinae

Lucilia illustris

 

 

24

Calliphoridae

Melanomyinae

Melinda scutellata

 

 

25

Calliphoridae

Polleniini

Dexopollenia sp.

 

 

26

Calliphoridae

Polleniini

Polleniopsis pilosa

 

 

27

Calliphoridae

Rhiniinae

Idiella mandarina

 

 

28

Calliphoridae

Rhiniinae

Isomyia sp.

 

 

29

Calliphoridae

Rhiniinae

Rhinia apicalis

 

 

30

Calliphoridae

Rhiniinae

Stomorhina sp.

 

 

31

Calliphoridae

Rhiniinae

Strongyloneura sp.1

WB

Senior White et al. 1940

32

Calliphoridae

Rhiniinae

Strongyloneura sp.2

 

 

33

Cecidomyiidae

Lestremiinae

Allarete spatuliformis

 

 

34

Cecidomyiidae

Porricondylinae

Camptomyia sp.1

WB

Ahad Najam et al. 2009; Gagne & Jaschhof 2021

35

Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogoninae

Culicoides sp. 1

 

 

36

Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogoninae

Culicoides pararegalis

 

 

37

Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogoninae

Culicoides pseudoregalis

 

 

38

Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogoninae

Culicoides regalis

 

 

39

Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogoninae

Culicoides subregalis

 

 

40

Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogoninae

Culicoides sp.2

 

 

41

Chironomidae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

42

Culicidae

Culicinae

Culex sp.1

 

 

43

Culicidae

Culicinae

Culex sp.2

 

 

44

Diopsidae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

45

Dolichopodidae

Diaphorinae

Chrysotus sp.

 

 

46

Dolichopodidae

Diaphorinae

Diaphorus sp.

 

 

47

Dolichopodidae

Dolichopodinae

Dolichopus sp.1

 

 

48

Dolichopodidae

Dolichopodinae

Dolichopus sp.2

 

 

49

Drosophilidae

Drosophilinae

Drosophila sp.

 

 

50

Drosophilidae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

51

Hybotidae

Hybotinae

Hybos culiciformis

IND

Shamshev et al. 2015; Zouhair & Kettani 2022

52

Lauxaniidae

Homoneurinae

Homoneura sp.1

IND

Miller 1976; Sasakawa 1992; Shatalkin 1996; Gao & Yang 2004; Lee & Han 2015

53

Lauxaniidae

Homoneurinae

Homoneura sp. 2

 

 

54

Lonchopteridae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

55

Muscidae

Atherigoninae

Atherigona orientalis

 

 

56

Muscidae

Atherigoninae

Atherigona sp.

 

 

57

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Coenosia plumiseta

WB

Bharti 2008

58

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Coenosia sp.1

WB

Rahman et al. 2017

59

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Coenosia sp.2

 

 

60

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Coenosia sp.3

 

 

61

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Limnophora latiseta

 

 

62

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Limnophora brunnescens

 

 

63

Muscidae

Lispinae

Lispe bengalensis

 

 

64

Muscidae

Lispinae

Lispe sericipalpis

 

 

65

Muscidae

Lispinae

Lispe orientalis

 

 

66

Muscidae

Lispinae

Lispe sp.1

 

 

67

Muscidae

Lispinae

Lispe sp.2

 

 

68

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Dichaetomyia nubiana

 

 

69

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Dichaetomyia sp.1

 

 

70

Muscidae

Muscinae

Morellia nigrisquama

WB

Emden 1965; Mitra 2011; Sinha et al. 2021

71

Muscidae

Muscinae

Morellia pectinipes

WB

Emden 1965; Mitra 2011; Sinha et al. 2021

72

Muscidae

Muscinae

Morellia sp.1

 

 

73

Muscidae

Muscinae

Morellia sp.2

 

 

74

Muscidae

Muscinae

Musca convexifrons

WB

Mitra 2006

75

Muscidae

Muscinae

Musca domestica

 

 

76

Muscidae

Muscinae

Musca hervei

 

 

77

Muscidae

Muscinae

Musca tempestiva

WB

Emden 1965; Shina et al. 2021

78

Muscidae

Muscinae

Musca sp.1

 

 

79

Muscidae

Muscinae

Musca sp.2

 

 

80

Muscidae

Muscinae

Neomyia gavisa

 

 

81

Muscidae

Muscinae

Neomyia coerulea

 

 

82

Muscidae

Muscinae

Neomyia claripennis

 

 

83

Muscidae

Muscinae

Neomyia fletcheri

 

 

84

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Phaonia kambaitiana

WB

Emden 1965; Mitra 2011; Sinha et al. 2021

85

Muscidae

Muscinae

Pyrellia cadaverina

WB

Emden 1965

86

Muscidae

Muscinae

Rypellia flavipes

WB

Emden 1965; Sinha et al. 2021

87

Muscidae

Muscinae

Rypellia malaisei

WB

Shina et al. 2021

88

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Brontaea ascendens

 

 

89

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Brontaea distincta

 

 

90

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Brontaea lasiopa

 

 

91

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Graphomya maculata

WB

Emden 1965; Mitra 2011; Sinha et al. 2021

92

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Graphomya rufitibia

 

 

93

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Hebecnema sp.

 

 

94

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Myospila bina bina

 

 

95

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Myospila tenax

 

 

96

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Myospila sp.1

 

 

97

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Brontaea sp.1

 

 

98

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Brontaea sp.2

 

 

99

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Dichaetomyia quadrata

 

 

100

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Dichaetomyia sp.2

 

 

101

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Helina appendiculata

 

 

102

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Helina iwasai

IND

Shinonaga & Singh 1994; Sinha et al. 2021

103

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Myospila lenticeps

 

 

104

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Helina sp.1

 

 

105

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Helina sp.2

 

 

106

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Hydrotaea unispinosa

 

 

107

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Hydrotaea sp.

 

 

108

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Limnophora tonsa

 

 

109

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Limnophora sp.1

 

 

110

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Limnophora sp.2

 

 

111

Muscidae

Coenosiinae

Limnophora sp.3

 

 

112

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Mydaea longiscutellata

 

 

113

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Myosplia meditabunda meditabunda

WB

Jana et al. 2023

114

Muscidae

Mydaeinae

Mydaea sp.

 

 

115

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Phaonia sp.1

 

 

116

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Phaonia sp.2

 

 

117

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Phaonia sp.3

 

 

118

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Phaonia sp.4

 

 

119

Muscidae

Phaoniinae

Spilogona sp.

WB

Emden 1965

120

Muscidae

Stomoxydinae

Stomoxys calcitrans

 

 

121

Mycetophilidae

Mycetophilinae

Rhymosia sp.

WB

Banerjee et al. 2018

122

Phoridae

Metopinini

Megaselia pallicornis

 

 

123

Phoridae

Phorinae

Dohrniphora aequididtans

 

 

124

Pipunculidae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

125

Psychodidae

Psychodinae

Clogmia albipunctata

 

 

126

Psychodidae

Psychodinae

Psychoda sp.

 

 

127

Psychodidae

Psychodinae

Telmatoscopus lacteitarsis

 

 

128

Ptychopteridae

Ptychopterinae

Ptychoptera sp.

 

 

129

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Bercaea cruentata

 

 

130

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Boettcherisca nepalensis

WB

Sinha 2014

131

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Ravinia pernix

 

 

132

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Robineauella (Jantiella) kanoi

 

 

133

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Sarcophaga albiceps

 

 

134

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Sarcophaga coei

 

 

135

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Sarcophaga sp.1

 

 

136

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Sarcophaga sp.2

 

 

137

Sarcophagidae

Sarcophaginae

Sinonipponia baruai

IND

 Pape 1996; Nandi 2002

138

Scathophagidae

Scathophaginae

Scathophaga sp.

 

 

139

Sepsidae

Nemopodatinae

Nemopoda pectinulata

 

 

140

Sepsidae

Sepsinae

Sepsis sp.

 

 

141

Stratiomyidae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

142

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Cheilosia sp.

 

 

143

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Chrysogaster sp.

IND

Dousti & Hayat 2006; Khaghaninia et al. 2012; Dousti 2023

144

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Eristalinus taeniops

 

 

145

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Eristalinus sp.

 

 

146

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Eristalis himalayensis

 

 

147

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Eristalis tenax

 

 

148

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Eristalis tristriatus

 

 

149

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Eristalis sp.

 

 

150

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Rhingia binotata

 

 

151

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Rhingia sp.

 

 

152

Syrphidae

Eristalinae

Sphegina sp.

 

 

153

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Asarkina africana

IND

Whittington 1998; Ssymank 2012; Smit et al. 2017; El-Hawagry & Gilbert 2019

154

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Asarkina sp.1

 

 

155

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Asarkina sp.2

 

 

156

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Baccha maculata

 

 

157

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Betasyrphus sp.

 

 

158

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Chrysotoxum sp.

 

 

159

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Citrogramma citrinum

 

 

160

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Episyrphus balteatus

 

 

161

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Episyrphus sp.1

 

 

162

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Episyrphus sp.2

 

 

163

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Episyrphus sp.3

 

 

164

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Episyrphus sp.4

 

 

165

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Eupeodes sp.

 

 

166

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Lycastris sp.1

 

 

167

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Lycastris sp.2

 

 

168

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Melanostoma sp.

 

 

169

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Paragus haemorrhous

IND

Haarto 2014; Turk et al. 2014

170

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Paragus sp.1

 

 

171

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Paragus sp.2

 

 

172

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Spherosphoria scripta

WB

Mitra et al. 2015; Sengupta et al. 2016

173

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Syrphus dalhousiae

WB

Mitra et al. 2015; Sengupta et al. 2016

174

Syrphidae

Syrphinae

Syrphus torvus

 

 

175

Tabanidae

Pangoniinae

Philoliche longirostris

 

 

176

Tachinidae

Dexiinae

Prosena sp.

 

 

177

Tachinidae

Dexiinae

Thelaira solivaga

WB

Sathe et al. 2014

178

Tachinidae

Dexiinae

Zelia sp.

 

 

179

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Linnaemya sp.

 

 

180

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tothillia asiatica

WB

O’Hara et al. 2020

181

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.1

WB

O’Hara et al. 2020

182

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.2

 

 

183

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.3

 

 

184

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.4

 

 

185

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.5

 

 

186

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.6

 

 

187

Tachinidae

Tachininae

Tachina sp.7

 

 

188

Tephritidae

Unidentified

Unknown

 

 

189

Tipulidae

Chioneinae

Atarba sp.

 

 

190

Tipulidae

Dolichopezinae

Dolichopeza sp.

 

 

191

Tipulidae

Limoniinae

Atypophthalmus sp.

 

 

192

Tipulidae

Limoniinae

Geranomyia sp.1

 

 

193

Tipulidae

Limoniinae

Geranomyia sp.2

 

 

194

Tipulidae

Limoniinae

Toxorhina sp.

 

 

195

Tipulidae

Tipulinae

Holorusia sp.

 

 

196

Tipulidae

Tipulinae

Indotipula sp.1

 

 

197

Tipulidae

Tipulinae

Indotipula sp.2

 

 

198

Trichoceridae

Trichocerinae

Trichocera sp.

WB

Alexander 1961

199

Ulidiidae

Otitinae

Pseudotephritis sp.1

 

 

200

Ulidiidae

Otitinae

Pseudotephritis sp.2

 

 

201

Ulidiidae

Otitinae

Pseudotephritis sp.3

 

 

*First time recorded from the state of West Bengal (WB), or India (IND)

 

For figures - - click here for full pdf

 

 

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