Faunistic studies on snail-killing flies (Dip. Sciomyzidae) in Taleghan region

Flies of the family Sciomyzidae are feeding mostly as predators or parasitioids on terrestrial and freshwater molluscs and known as snail-killing flies. Because of their biology and feeding behavior they are very important biocontrol agent against terrestrial and freshwater molluscs that are of considerable economic importance because of their pest status in agriculture and also intermediate hosts for a number of serious parasitic diseases of man-schistosomes and liver flukes. Before this study 28 species of snail-killing flies have been recorded from Iran and no information was available on the fauna of Sciomyzidae of Taleghan region. During studies on snail-killing flies’ fauna in Taleghan region during 2009–2017, 10 species of 8 genera (Pherbellia cinerella, P. nana, Coremacera amoena, C. catenata, Dichaetophora obliterate, Euthycera stictica, Hydromya dorsalis, Psacadina verbekei, Sepedon sphegea, Trypetoptera punctulata) are found to occur in this region.