Records of asilidae and muscidae (Diptera) as predators of Platycerus caraboides and Platycerus caprea (Coleoptera Lucanidae) larvae in deadwood in northern Italy

The present paper reports cases of predation on two Italian species of stag beetles, Platycerus caprea and Platycerus caraboides, by saproxylic Diptera of which preys were seldom reported or unknown in the literature. Resulting from eight years of collections in many sites in northern Italy, the robber flies Laphria meridionalis and Choerades sp. eclosed in rearing boxes of P. caraboides, and the muscid fly Phaonia palpata emerged from deadwood inhabited by both Platycerus species. These Diptera developed in deadwood of broadleaves species, where they were uncommon predators of Platycerus immature stages. Predator-prey interactions between Asilidae and Muscidae larvae and Platycerus improve the knowledge on the community of these species with hidden habits in the saproxylic scene