Some Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) from Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) with Special Reference to the Habitats in the Parc Natural De S' Albufera De Mallorca
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Some Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) from Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) with special reference to the habitats in the Parc Natural de s' Albufera de Mallorca Níck J. RIDDIFORD & Martín J. EBEJER Riddiford, NJ. & Ebejer, MJ. 2006. Sorne Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) from SHNB Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) with special reference to the habitats in the Pare Natural de s'Albufera de Mallorca. Boll. Soco Hist. Nat. Balears, 49: 185-197. ISSN 0212-260X. Palma de Mallorca. 36 species of Syrphidae are recorded from s' Albufera de Mallorca and another 3 from sites outside the park. 8 species are recorded for the first time from the Balearic Islands bringing to 66 the total number of confurned species. Notes on their ecology and distri bution are given where available and the checklist is updated. Key Hlortls: Syrphidae, hoverflies, Mallorca, Albufera, faunistics, ecology.· SOCIETAT D'HISTORIA NATURAL DE LES BALEARS ALGUNES ESPECIES DE DÍPTERS (DlPTERA, SYRPHIDAE) DE MALLORCA (ILLES BALEARS, ESPANYA) AMB ESPECIAL REFERENCIA ALS HÁBITATS DEL PARC NATURAL DE S' ALBUFERA DE MALLORCA. Es citen 36 especies de Syrphidae del pare natural de s' Albufera de Mallorca i altres 3 localitats exteriors al pare. Vuit d' aquestes especies són noves citacions per a les Illes Balears, confirmant la presencia d'un total de 66 especies. Es donen algunes notes sobre la seva distribució i ecologia, així com un llistat complet de les especies detectades. Pllrllllles cltm: Syrphidae, dípters, Mallorca, Albufera, faunística, eco logia. Nick J. RlDDIFORD, The Albufera Initiative for Biodiversity, Schoolton, Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU, United Kingdom. Email: [email protected] ; Martin J. EBEJER, Research Associate, Entomology Section, Department of Biodiversity & Systematic Biology, Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales, Cathays Parle, Cardiff, CF10 3NP, United Kingdom. Email: [email protected] Recepció del manuscrit: 5-des-06; revisió acceptada: 29-des-06. Introduction relating to biodiversity, eeologieal monito ring and evaluation of habitat riehness. Most of the speeies in the Syrphidae are The Pare Natural de s' Albufera is an area eonspicuous eolourful flies that attraet the of extensive wetlands in the north east of atlention of humans. They are important Mallorca. Its eeology has been the subjeet of pollinators of flowering plants. They have a study for many years. Although the greater diverse biology and eeology partieularly in part of the park is dominated by Phragmites their larval stages. For these reasons they australis, there are many other habitats wit have often been the subjeet of field studies hin its boundary. These include: dry dunes, 186 Boll. Soco Hist. Nat. Balears, 49 (2006) parts of which have a maquis type of vege the archipelago. We append this list at the tation; freshwater canals with Arundo donax end ofthe artiele (Table 3). and Tamarix spp. alongside; flushed as well as dry meadows, sorne of which are grazed and sorne not; Aleppo pine Pinus halepensis Methods woodland; riparian woodlands of elm Ulmus x hollandica and white poplar Populus alba; Most ofthe collecting ofspecimens Salicornia salt marsh and marsh dominated was sporadic, using hand nets or malaise by Juncus. traps. Sorne species were collected in malai There are 56 species of hoverflies from se and water traps during more systematic the Balearics listed in the Catalogue of collecting to monitor species' occurrence Iberia (Marcos-García et al., 2002). In the and the scale oftheir recolonization ofburnt Atlas of Mediterranean Hoverflies (Dirickx, areas. Many of the records for the more 1994) there are 48 species mapped as occu abundant species were made in the field and rring on Mallorca, but three of these: specimens were not collected or retained. Callicera rufa Schummel, 1842, Merodon The voucher specimens are deposited in the aeneus Megerle, 1822 and Syrphus vitripen collection at the Bishop Laboratory in Pare nis Meigen, 1822 are not listed in the s' Albufera aml/or in the private collections Catalogue as occurring in the Balearics. ofMJE, DG (David Gibbs) and NJR. Kassebeer (2002) critically reviewed the literature on Balearic hoverflies and accep ted a number of old records on the basis of Results those species being common and wides pread around the Mediterranean. In other There are 36 species recorded from the cases, he questioned the validity of sorne old park with 5 of these being new records for literature records where the species have the Balearics. An additional 3 new species never been encountered again or where the records for the Balearics from outside the present known geographical distribution park are ineluded in this artiele. The species does not inelude the Balearic Islands. We are listed in alphabetical order for conve agree with this view, but would add a word nience. Comments are added on distribution of caution to the effect that in spite of the and habitat preference where these are huge surge in interest in Syrphidae over the known. Most of the data on habits and dis last 20 years, the fauna ofthe Mediterranean tribution were obtained from those summa and its distribution remain inadequately rized in recent literature (Peck, 1988; Stubbs known and it is still possible to find species & Falk, 2002; Speight, 2006) and supple in the Balearics that might not be expected mented by our own observations. on the basis of present knowledge. The data for each species are listed in The aim of this artiele is to report on the chronological order with the initials of the species of Syrphidae and their habitat affini collector at the end of each entry as follows: ties as they apply to the park. We also take CC - C. Cerventes; MJE - M.J. Ebejer; JG the opportunity to discuss the general distri - J. Guiu; PH - P. Hill; RK - R. King; SM - bution of the species found at s' Albufera and S. McKelvey; NJR - N.J. Riddiford; DS - in relation to records from the Balearics, D. Sivell; PL - P. Lupton. With sorne ofthe thus updating the list of species known from very widespread and abundant species the N.J. Riddiford & M.J. Ebejer, Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae)from Mallorca 187 Larval mud with rotting pools of brackish dung standing water marsh with requirement vegetation water with Typha Scirpus Availability & abundant; under abundant; variable frequent local common; conditions several variable salinity & organic (bovine) variable conditions composition conditions Eristalinus x x Eristalis x x x Helophilus x Lejops x Neoascia x x Parhelophilus x Syritta x x Table 1. Sumrnary of syrphid larval requirements known to be available in Parc s' Albufera. Species associated with wetlands, mud or mammalian dung. TOII/¡¡ I. Resum deIs requeriments larvals de Syrphidae coneguts i observats en el Parc de s 'Albufera de Mallorca. Especies associades a zones humides, fang o zones fangoses remogudes pels ramats. complete data are omitted for convenience, Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 but where many examples have been exami Chrysotoxum elegans Loew, 1841 (sens. ned this is noted. We have previously listed lat.) sorne Syrphidae species without specific A single specimen was seen and examined data in a report on the Diptera of Pare by one of us (MJE) about four years ago. It s' Albufera (Ebejer, 2003). These are inclu was collected on Mallorca, but unfortunate1y ded in the following list with their data for the specimen with its data appears to have completeness. been 10st. Prefers dry habitats near open wood1and and List of species scrub. It is widespread in Europe, but since it is unclear how many species are involved Ceriana Rafinesque 1815 in this species complex, the distribution of Ceriana vespiformis (Latreille, 1804) sorne of these may turn out to be more res Id' & 19, s'Albufera, Sa Roca, on flowers of tricted. First record for Balearics. Foeniculum, 22.v.2006, MJE; ld', s'Albufera, Camí des Polls, 28.v.2006, MJE. Chrysotoxum intermedium Meigen, 1822 19, s 'Albufera, Ses Puntes, 6.v.1991, SM; A typical Mediterranean species, vespifor 19, s 'Albufera, Ses Puntes, 6.v.1991, 299, mis is not uncommon. It is often found on s' Albufera, Ses Puntes marsh, 13/v.1991 Umbelliferae especially Foeniculum. It (collector unknown); 19, s 'Albufera, Es does not seem to have any specific habitat Comú coastal dunes, Pinus, Pistacia, Cistus, preference. 27.x.1995, NJR; Id', s 'Albufera, Es Comú 188 Boll. SOCo Hist. Nat. Balears, 49 (2006) coastal dunes, Pinus, Pistacia, Cistus, in the collection at Bishop Laboratory in the 29.iv.1999, NJR; Id', s' Albufera, Es Comú park. coastal dunes, Pinus, Pistacia, Cistus, 16.iv.2001, MJE; 19, Sa Pobla, Son Ton Abundant everywhere in the Palaearctic. A woods, Pinus, Olea, Quercus, Arbutus, migrant species that shows no preference Pistacia, 2 l.iv.2001 , MJE; 19, s 'Albufera, for any specific habitat. Ses Puntes, 21.iv.2006, DG. Eristalinus Rondani, 1845 This may be a species complex and more Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763) study will be required to confirm all the bio 19, s' Albufera, at main sluice, 5. v.1991 logical and ecological data that are currently (collector unknown); Id', s'Albufera, Gran attributed to intermedium. As currently Canal, 27.iv.1998, NJR; 19, s' Albufera, Can interpreted, it is a widespread and common Blau, 29.iv.2000, NJR; id', s 'Albufera, Sa species in aH habitats around the Roca, 1.x.2004, MV trap, NJR. Mediterranean, although it prefers drier environments. The flight period extends A cosmopolitan species that is abundant in over the whole twelve months, but peaks in Europe, the Middle East and around the March-May. Larva in nests of ants and pos Mediterranean, especiaHy in coastal areas. sibly wasps. One of us (MJE) found larvae and reared them from very saline rock pools within a Dasysyrphus Enderlein, 1938 few metres of the sea on Malta.