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by Dr. Robert Lavigne Download the predator-prey database (4 MB, Excel) - Last saved: August 30, 2016
Dr. R. Lavigne offers up a revised predator-prey database which now contains 14,387 records (Projects by R. Lavigne)
This asilid predator/prey database began life in the original dBase and subsequently evolved through dBase II into dBase V. It was then transformed into Paradox versions 7, 8 and currently 9. It can be downloaded and imported into dBase IV & V, in Paradox 7, 8, 9, in Excel'97 and in Access (MS Office 2000). The database currently contains 13,445 records, most of which were derived from searching through the literature. A few individuals, such as Greg Daniels, have kindly provided me with unpublished records. The database will be intermittently upgraded, as well as corrected, as more prey records becomes available. It is a searchable database with 14 fields as follows: PREDATOR, PREDSPECIES, ORIGDESIGN, ORDER, FAMILY, GENUS, SPECIES, COMONAME, PREDSEX, SOURCE, SOURCE2, COUNTRY, NO.EATEN, CANNIBALISM. Thus, 1/ PREDATOR refers to the genus of the present genus of the asilid, 2/ PREDSPECIES refers to the species and authority of the asilid, 3/ ORIGDESIGN provides the name of the asilid in the original publication, 4-7/ ORDER, FAMILY, GENUS, SPECIES refer to the species of prey [where I am aware that names have changed it is so indicated in this column], 8/ COMONAME refers to common name of the prey [and is not complete], 9/ PREDSEX refers to the sex of the predator [where indicated in the original publication], 10/ SOURCE refers to the original publication, 11/ SOURCE2 contains secondary sources for the same record which was published in a subsequent publication, 12/ COUNTRY refers to the country in which individual records were obtained, 13/ NO.EATEN is included where there are multiple records provided by the original author, 14/ CANNIBALISM is included since there have been many cases of males and/or females feeding members of the same species.
Lavigne, R., S. Dennis and J. A. Gowen. 1978. Asilid literature update 1956-1976 including a brief review of robber fly biology. University of Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Science Monograph 36. 134 pp. [Revised slightly in 2000]
Tips: Once downloaded, the database can be searched for individual words by search engines, using the convention: ..word.. In the various versions of Paradox, a 'Query' can be initiated to sort for specific groupings, such as all prey records for a particular family or genus.
Re: Additional projects
A similar database for asilid species dealing with various aspects of biology/behavior is being developed. A paper on courtship behaviour was recently published in Studia Dipterologica as follows: Lavigne, R.J. (2003): Evolution of courtship behaviour among the Asilidae (Diptera), with a review of courtship and mating. - Studia dipterologica 9(2)(2002): 703-742; Halle (Saale).
Records from this predator-prey database can be used without limitation with the proviso that, if recognized, existing errors should be reported to me for the benefit of future users of the database. I would greatly appreciate receiving new records to add to the database [ Send to robertlavigne@bigpond.com]. It is absolutely prohibited to use the offered data for commercial purposes.
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![Promachus sp. [Skaife et al. 1981]](../images/prey01.jpg)