STUDIES ON THE DIPTERAN POLLINATORS OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN INDIA

In the recent past, medicinal plants constitute a group of industrially crops, which are of great value for domestic use and for export. As such there is no information on insect pollinators of medicinal plants in the literature particularly on flies. Interesting to know that, great varieties of methods and habits of pollination are found among Diptera. Flies may be important pollinators under certain climatic conditions; because they are present at all times of the year unlike the strictly periodic & more demanding bumble bees & honey bees. Though the study of dipteran pollinators of medicinal plants are recent one, but some preliminary reports made by Mitra & Parui (2002), Mitra et al. (2002), Mitra et al. (2003) & Mukherjee et al. (2002) from India.


INTRODUCTION
In the recent past, medicinal plants constitute a group of industrially crops, which are of great value for domestic use and for export. As such there is no information on insect pollinators of medicinal plants in the literature particularly on flies. Interesting to know that, great varieties of methods and habits of pollination are found among Diptera. Flies may be important pollinators under certain climatic conditions; because they are present at all times of the year unlike the strictly periodic & more demanding bumble bees & honey bees. Though the study of dipteran pollinators of medicinal plants are recent one, but some preliminary reports made by , ,     Diagnosis: This species is a small green metallic species with upper facets much larger than lower one; legs pale yellow, hind femora with a broad median band and hind tibia with a broad apical band.

Oplodontha rubrithorax (Macquart)
1838. Odolltomyia rubrithorax Macquart,Mem. Soc. Agric. Lille.,: 189. Diagnosis: The fly is small in size, with black thorax and yellowish abdomen; legs orange yellow with a brown ring on fore femora and brown streak on underside of middle femur.
Diagnosis: Medium, black fly with reddish brown to yellow third antennal segment; all femora and tibiae anteriorly and posteriorly brownish orange, rest black; wings grey, yellowish brown at centre. Diagnosis : A robust species with black abdomen largely yellowish at sides; frontal callus triangular with its apex continues in a spindle shaped line; thorax with 3 grayish or yellowish stripes; legs blackish with all tibiae at base dull reddish. Diagnosis: A small blackish grey species with their soft white hairs; thorax with a long and a short spiny yellow bristles in front of each wing; femora black with base and apex reddish yellow, tibiae uniformly reddish yellow. Diagnosis: A large black species; face with long yellow or orange setae; first four segments of abdomen densely covered with reddish scales, and seventh segment with snow-white scales.
Diagnosis: A medium sized species with porrect antennae, second antennal joint cup shaped, third segment onion-shaped; thorax quadrate; abdomen flat, oblong; wings brown with hyaline spots.
Diagnosis : A medium sized blackish species; lateral portion of thorax with long black bristly hairs but dorsum with short black pubescence and minute yellow scales; with a broad oblique dark brown band extending from costa to middle of axillary cell embracing basal third of discal cell.
Visiting plant species: Cassia tora Linnaeus (Gujarat). Diagnosis: A medium sized yellowish species; antennal prominence yellowish with a small black dot above base of antennae; thorax blackish with 2 greyish stripes on fore part; scutellum covered with partly yellow & partly black pubescence. Abdomen wholly orange with second to fifth segment indistinctly median spotted or black banded. Diagnosis: A medium sized blackish species with frons and face bright sulphur yellow; thorax shining black, side margins bright yellow from anterior margin of wing; abdomen black with a pair of yellow spots on second segment, and one yellow bandan third & fourth; fifth segment mostly orange; legs yellow with a broad subapical black ring on hind femora.
Diagnosis: A medium sized black species; face yellow with black pubescence; antenna reddish brown; thorax black with sides and lateral regions yellow; legs orange yellow with all femora blackish at base; abdomen black, second segment with a pair of yellow spots, third and fourth segment with a yellow band behind anterior margin, fifth segment orange with an oval black spot at middle.

Lasiopticus latimaculata
Diagnosis: A medium blackish species; thorax black with yellow side margins entirely; abdomen black with 3 pairs of subequal orange spots on second to fifth segment; legs orange yellow with anterior and hind femora black on basal half.
Diagnosis: A small linear black and yellow species; face with antennae yellowish; thoracic dorsum black with lateral sides yellow, striped; scutellum yellow; abdomen black with yellow transverse bands; legs yellow with dark tarsi.
Distribution: Jammu and Kashmir.
piagnosis : A small blackish species; face with central bump and moderately produced upper mouth edge; thorax and scutellum blackish with soft yellowish to brownish pubescence; second to fourth abdominal segments each with a pair of orange yellow spots of varying shape; basal half of anterior and posterior femora wholly black, rest yellow, hind tibia with a broad black median band, rest of all tibiae orange. Diagnosis : A small black species with eyes sparsely hairy in male, bare in female; thorax, scutellum and abdomen shining black; legs yellow with basal half of anterior and hind femora black, hind metatarsi distinctly incrassated.
Distribution: Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Brunetti,Rec.lndian Mus.,8: 157. 29 Diagnosis: A small black species; hind orbit of eye bears a fringe of white hairs; thorax and scutellum shining black with fine black pUbescence; basal half of abdomen blue-black, rest reddish brown; femora black on basal half, rest brownish yellow.
Diagnosis: A small black species with yellow face and a black line on it; thorax black, covered with long pale yellow pubescence; abdomen shining black; basal half of anterior and little more of hind tibia black, rest bright orange.
Diagnosis : A large yellow and black species; frons covered with black pubescence and face with pale yellow pubescence; thorax with four longitudinal black stripes, whole thorax and scutellum covered with pale yellow pubescence; abdomen black, second and third segments with a pair of yellow spots; all tibiae black basally to a varying extent.

Visiting plant species: Tagetes patula Linnaeus (West Bengal).
Distribution: Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Orissa, Sikkim, Tripura and West Bengal. Wiedemann,Aussereurop. zweiffl. lnsekt.,2 : 191. Diagnosis : A small blackish species; face black with whitish grey pubescence; thorax and scutellum black with brownish grey pubescence; abdomen black with brownish grey pubescence on dorsum, whitish towards margin. Diagnosis : A medium sized yellow and black species; frons and face with yellowish grey pubescence, antenna and arista brownish orange, thoracic dorsum with four black longitudinal$. stripes; scutellum yellowish; abdominal segments yellow and black patterned; all femora black except tip of fore and hind femora orange or yellow.
Diagnosis : A large yel10w and black species; eyes with 6 narrow more o"r less parallel longitudinal dark stripes and dark brown pubescent on front part; dorsum of thorax with 4 black longitudinal stripes; abdomen black and yel10w patterned; legs mainly blackish.

Diagnosis:
A medium black and yellowish species; antennae black with orange arista; thorax and scutellum covered with brownish yellow pubescence; abdomen orange yellow with black pattern; tips of femora, basal 2/3rd. Anterior tibiae & basel half of hind tibiae orange; rest of legs black.
Distribution: Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and West Bengal. Diagnosis : A medium blackish species; antennae orange with black arista; thorax black with humeri, lateral sides and pleura wholly yellow or whitish grey; second and third abdominal segments wholly with complete yellow bands; hind femora normally wholly yellow.
Diagnosis: A medium blackish species with humeri and pleura yellowish to whitish grey; second and third abdominal segments with a pair of yellowish spots.

Orthellia viridis (Wiedemann)
1824. Idia viridis Wiedemann, Analecta Ent.,: 50. Diagnosis: A medium metallic green, blue-green or brassy-green; eyes rather densely short haired; thorax shining, the thin grayish dust becoming evident only in a tangential view; 4th abdominal segment more brassy or bronze, wings with light brown veins and wholly hairy membrane; coxae and femora with slight metallic green reflections. Diagnosis: A small g~~n to purple coloured fly; third antennal segment 5 times of 2 nd ; wing tinged brown, subcostal sclerite with stiff black hairs; squama dark brown.