A review of the importance of Tachinidae (Diptera: Oestroidea) in biological control programs

Dipteran flies are the second most important group of insect parasitoids after hymenopteran parasitoids and they represent about 20% of all insect parasitoids. The Tachinidae comprises approximately 1500 valid genera and more than 8500 described species in the world and is the largest and most important family of dipteran parasitoids. This family is divided into four subfamilies: Exoristinae, Tachininae, Dexiinae, and Phasiinae, of which the Exoristinae is the most species–rich subfamily. Some species of the Tachinidae have been used in classical and augmentative biological control programs, especially in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Despite the high potential of Tachinidae parasitoids as effective biological control agents, their role in pest management programs has been less studied. Not only in Iran, but also in many parts of the world, the tachinid species are not commercially available and only some species of the family have been mass reared. In the last decade, considerable research has been conducted on the identification and classification of Tachinidae in Iran, and more than 270 species of this family have been reported in the country. In the current review, various aspects of the Tachinidae have been investigated including, biology, rearing methods, and examples of application and their potential in biological control programs. This review aims to reveal the role of the tachinid flies in biological control programs and to use them in the integrated management programs of key pests in Iran.