RECORDS OF ASILIDAE AND MUSCIDAE (DIPTERA) AS PREDATORS OF PLATYCERUS CARABOIDESAND PLATYCERUS CAPREA(COLEOPTERA LUCANIDAE) LARVAE IN DEADWOOD IN NORTHERN ITALY

Abstract

The present paper reports cases of predation on two Italian species of stag beetles, Platycerus capreaand Platyceruscaraboides, by saproxylic Diptera of which preys were seldom reported or unknownin the litera-ture. Resulting from eight years of collections in many sites in northern Italy, the robber flies Laphria meridiona-lisandChoeradessp.eclosed inrearing boxes of P. caraboides, and the muscid fly Phaonia palpataemerged from deadwood inhabited byboth Platycerusspecies. These Dipteradeveloped in deadwood ofbroadleaves species,wherethey wereuncommon predators of Platycerusimmaturestages.Predator-prey interactions betweenAsilidaeandMuscidae larvae andPlatycerusimprove the knowledge on thecommunity of these species with hidden habitsin the saproxylic scene.