Guseva O.G., Koval A.G. 2026. Distribution of the robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) in the agricultural landscape in the Leningrad Region // Russian Entomol. J. Vol.35. No.3: 428–432 [in English].
All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection, Podbelskogo, 3, St. Petersburg – Pushkin 196608 Russia.
Olga Guseva: olgaguseva-2011@yandex.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8699-0492
Alexander Koval: agkoval@yandex.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1470-7408
doi: 10.15298/rusentj.35.3.15
ABSTRACT. Ten species of robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) were recorded in the mosaic agricultural landscape of the Menkovo Research Station (2005–2025), a patchwork of crop fields embedded within semi-natural habitats. Field margins adjoining forest edges were the most species-rich and abundant habitats of asilids. This affected the higher occurrences of Leptogaster cylindrica, Tolmerus atricapillus and Dioctria spp. in cultivated fields. Dioctria atricapilla turned out to dominate assemblages, particularly in perennial forage stands and spring-sown cereals, despite being regarded as locally distributed in the Leningrad Region.
KEY WORDS: biodiversity, species composition, robber flies, species richness.