Birmingham & Black Country SPECIES ATLAS SERIES Hoverflies Family: Syrphidae Andy Slater Produced by EcoRecord Introduction Hoverflies are members of the Syrphidae family in the very large insect order Diptera ('true flies'). There are around 283 species of hoverfly found in the British Isles, and 176 of these have been recorded in Birmingham and the Black Country. This atlas contains tetrad maps of all of the species recorded in our area based on records held on the EcoRecord database. The records cover the period up to the end of 2019. Myathropa florea Cover image: Chrysotoxum festivum All illustrations and photos by Andy Slater All maps contain Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database right 2020 Hoverflies Hoverflies are amongst the most colourful and charismatic insects that you might spot in your garden. They truly can be considered the gardener’s fiend as not only are they important pollinators but the larva of many species also help to control aphids! Great places to spot hoverflies are in flowery meadows on flowers such as knapweed, buttercup, hogweed or yarrow or in gardens on plants such as Canadian goldenrod, hebe or buddleia. Quite a few species are instantly recognisable while the appearance of some other species might make you doubt that it is even a hoverfly… Mimicry Many hoverfly species are excellent mimics of bees and wasps, imitating not only their colouring, but also often their shape and behaviour. Sometimes they do this to fool the bees and wasps so they can enter their nests to lay their eggs. Most species however are probably trying to fool potential predators into thinking that they are a hazardous species with a sting or foul taste, even though they are in fact harmless and perfectly edible. Some species are very good at this mimicry - it’s surprising how many articles about honeybees are illustrated by a photo of a Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)! The easiest way to tell the difference between a bee and a hoverfly is to look at the eyes and antennae - hoverflies have large roundish eyes and short antennae, while bees tend to have smaller oval-shaped eyes and long antennae. Left – Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), Right – Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) Lifecycle Adult hoverflies can be seen on sunny days from April to October, however each creature will actually spend most of its life in its maggot-like larval stage. The larva of around 40% of hoverfly species are aphid predators, while others live in wasp or ant nests where they are scavengers, feeding on the remains of dead workers, larvae, dropped food and other smaller insects. The larva of other species may live in rot-holes in trees, under bark, in ponds or in rotting vegetation. Because hoverflies have such a diverse range of lifestyles this makes them a good indicator of the health of our environment. Hoverfly Recording in Birmingham and the Black Country Number of Records Species distribution maps are often heavily influenced by the different levels of recording across an area. we've produced a map below to show the number of records in each tetrad (2km square): Top 5 site (no. records): 1. Sandwell Valley - 1393 2. Sutton Park - 1198 3. The Centre of the Earth - 340 4. Rea Valley - 294 5. Park Hall Nature Reserve - 191 Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the level of recording influences the number of species found in each tetrad: Top 5 site (no. species): 1. Sandwell Valley - 151 2. Sutton Park - 142 3. Vincent Drive - 57 4. Rea Valley - 56 5. Park Hall Nature Reserve - 53 At-a-Glance Species Guide Here is a visual guide to some of the commoner hoverfly species you might see: Baccha elongata Chrysotoxum bicinctum Cheilosia illustrata Dasysyrphus albostriatus Chrysotoxum festivum Dasysyrphus tricinctus Epistrophe eligans Epistrophe grossulariae dark form Episyrphus balteatus Eristalis tenax Eristalis arbustorm Eristalis pertinax ♂ Eristalis intricarius Melanostoma scalare ♀ Eupeodes luniger ♀ Eupeodes corollae ♀ Merodon equestris Helophilus pendulus Sphaerophoria sp. ♀ Myathropa florea Sphaerophoria scripta ♂ Platycheirus albimanus ♀ Syritta pipiens Syrphus ribesii ♀ Syrphus torvus ♂ Xanthogramma pedissequum Xylota segnis Volucella bombylans Volucella zonaria Volucella inanis Volucella pellucens Scaeva pyrastri Chrysotoxum verallii Leucozona lucorum Rare and Notable Hoverfly Species Recorded in Birmingham and the Black Country Below is a summary of rare and notable hoverfly species recorded in Birmingham and the Black Country Species Name Conservation Status Habitat B&BC Records Brachyopa pilosa NS Associated with Aspen and other Recorded at two sites in B&BC - Priory Woods poplars where adults can be found and Park Farm, Sandwell Valley and Cocks hovering near sap runs. Moors Wood NR, Yardley Wood. Most recent record: 2015 Callicera aurata NS An elusive but magnificent species Recorded at five sites in B&BC - including three which is usually found by accident. private gardens - along with Billesley Lane Probably associated with older trees, it Allotments and Bescot Triangle. Most recent may well be discovered in urban record: 2017 settings where sufficient mature deciduous trees are allowed to persist in gardens and at street margins. Cheilosia barbata NS Species with a southern distribution Recorded at five sites in B&BC - Mill Lane LNR and thought to be associated with and Walsall Power Station in Walsall; QE calcareous habitats such as calcareous Hospital and Sutton Park, Birmingham and grassland or the rides of calcareous Sandwell Valley. Most recent record: 2007 woodlands. Cheilosia velutina NS Associated with chalk grasslands and Recorded only at Sandwell Valley - at locations waste ground and usually found including Coaltip Mound and the woodlands visiting umbellifers. around Ice House Lake. Most recent record: 1992. Didea intermedia NS Associated with heathland or Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Sutton coniferous plantations. Park. Most recent record: pre 1910. Species may now be extinct in B&BC. Eupeodes nielseni NS Associated with the edges of pine Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Wrens forests, originally in the Scottish Nest NNR. Most recent record: 1990. Highlands but records suggest that the species has now spread southwards into England. Eupeodes nitens NS Associated with ancient woodlands Recorded at two sites in B&BC - Sutton Park where they visit flowers including (pre 1910) and Wrens Nest NNR. Most recent umbellifers and yellow composites. record: 1990. Species Name Conservation Status Habitat B&BC Records Ferdinandea ruficornis NS Associated with old trees trees, Recorded at one site in B&BC - Sots Hole, particularly those infested by Goat Sandwell Valley. Most recent record: 1994. Moth (Cossus cossus) where an abundant supply of sap is available. Heringia pubescens NS Associated with woodland rides, Recorded at one site in B&BC - Park Farm particularly where coniferisation has Wood, Sandwell Valley. Most recent record: occurred. Thay visit Dog's Mercury 2015. flowers. Mallota cimbiciformis NS Associated with rot holes in large Recorded at one site in B&BC - Priory Pool, mature trees, and may be seen visiting Sandwell Valley. Most recent record: 1978. flowers including Bramble. Melangyna barbifrons NS, NT Associated with old deciduous Recorded at two sites in B&BC - Sutton Park woodland and may be seen visiting (pre 1910) and Wrens Nest NNR. Most recent sallow blossom. record: 1990. Meligramma guttatum NS Associated with woodland and may be Recorded at two sites in B&BC - including seen visiting umbellifer flowers. several locations in Sandwell Valley including Priory Woods and Sots Hole. This species has also been recorded at Sutton Park (pre 1910). Most recent record: 1984. Neoascia interrupta NS Associated with swamp containing Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Park Hall containing Bulrush and Fool's Water- Nature Reserve, Birmingham. Most recent cress. record: 2008 Pipiza lugubris NS Unknown - widely distributed Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Sutton Park, Birmingham. Most recent record: pre 1910. Species may now be extinct in B&BC. Platycheirus immarginatus NS Associated with coastal habitat Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Clayhanger including saltmarsh SSSI. Most recent record:1987. Platycheirus perpallidus NS Associated with fen and the margins of Recorded at two sites in B&BC - Sandwell pools where sedges are abundant. Valley and Sutton Park. Most recent record: 2017 Platycheirus sticticus NS Associated with woodland edges, Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Wrens hedgerows and scrub. Nest NNR. Most recent record: 1990. Triglyphus primus NS Associated with Mugwort-rich Recorded at two sites in B&BC - Sandwell habitats, especially post-industrial Valley (at several locations) and Great Bridge land. Basins. Most recent record: 1997 Species Name Conservation Status Habitat B&BC Records Xylota abiens NS Associated with wet woodland. Recorded at only one site in B&BC - Sutton Park, Birmingham. Most recent record: pre 1910. Species may now be extinct in B&BC. Xylota tarda NS Associated with mature Aspen trees Recorded at two sites in B&BC - Park Farm growing in ancient woodland. Wood, Sandwell Valley and Wrens Nest NNR. Most recent record: 2014 NS = Nationally Scarce - a native species recorded from between 16-100 hectads (10km squares) of the OS national grid in Great Britain. NT = Near threatened in Great Britain The Species Accounts Scientific Name ◀ UK Status - frequency BM Common Name SF ◀ B&BC Rarity ◀ Conservation status P Tetrad map: ○ before 1980 ● 1980 - 2000 ● 2000 - 2019 Habitat information P BM Ball, S and Morris, R (2015) Britain's Hoverflies: A field guide. Princeton University Press SF Falk, S (2020) Steven Falk's Flickr Site [WWW] https://www.flickr.com/photos/63075200@N07/collections/ P Webb, J., Heaver, D., Lott, D., Dean, H.J., van Breda, J., Curson, J., Harvey, M.C., Gurney, M., Roy, D.B., van Breda, A., Drake, M., Alexander, K.N.A. and Foster, G. (2018). Pantheon - database version 3.7.6 Notes Past records of a presence of a species do not guarantee continued occurrence.