List of hoverfly species of Great Britain

The following is a list of hoverfly (Syrphidae) species recorded in Great Britain.

Male Sphaerophoria scripta hoverfly with thin abdomen

Volucella inanis is one of the larger species of hoverfly found in Britain.

Alan Stubbs and Steven Falk, in their 1983 work British Hoverflies,[1] divided the family into subfamilies and tribes. These subdivisions are now believed to be, to some extent, artificial groupings, not reflecting the evolutionary relationships within the family, so in need of revision. As no replacement system is yet in place, though, these groupings are retained in this list.

The six unnamed species listed in Stubbs and Falk (1983)[1] are not included below.

Subfamily Syrphinae

Tribe Bacchini[Note 1]

Baccha

• Baccha elongata [2] (syn. B. obscuripennis)

Melanostoma

• Melanostoma dubium[2]
• Melanostoma mellinum [2]
• Melanostoma scalare [2]

Platycheirus

Subgenus Pachysphyria

• Platycheirus ambiguus[2]

Subgenus Platycheirus

• Platycheirus albimanus [2]
• Platycheirus amplus [3]
• Platycheirus angustatus [2]
• Platycheirus aurolateralis [4]
• Platycheirus clypeatus [2]
• Platycheirus discimanus [2]
• Platycheirus europaeus [2][5]
• Platycheirus fulviventris [2]
• Platycheirus immarginatus [2]
• Platycheirus manicatus [2]
• Platycheirus melanopsis [2]
• Platycheirus nielseni [2][6]
• Platycheirus occultus [2][5]
• Platycheirus peltatus [2]
• Platycheirus perpallidus [2]
• Platycheirus podagratus [2]
• Platycheirus ramsaerensis [2][5][7]
• Platycheirus scambus [2]
• Platycheirus scutatus [2]
• Platycheirus splendidus [8]
• Platycheirus sticticus [2]
• Platycheirus tarsalis [2]

Subgenus Pyrophaena

• Platycheirus granditarsus [2]
• Platycheirus rosarum [2]

Xanthandrus

• Xanthandrus comtus [2]

Tribe Paragini

Paragus

Subgenus Pandasyopthalmus

• Paragus constrictus [2]
• Paragus haemorrhous [2]
• Paragus tibialis [2]

Subgenus Paragus

• Paragus albifrons [2]

Tribe Syrphini[Note 2]

Chrysotoxum

• Chrysotoxum arcuatum [2]
• Chrysotoxum bicinctum [2]
• Chrysotoxum cautum [2]
• Chrysotoxum elegans [2]
• Chrysotoxum festivum [2]
• Chrysotoxum octomaculatum [2]
• Chrysotoxum vernale [2]
• Chrysotoxum verralli [2]

Dasysyrphus

• Dasysyrphus albostriatus [2]
• Dasysyrphus friuliensis [2]
• Dasysyrphus hilaris [9]
• Dasysyrphus pauxillus [10][11]
• Dasysyrphus pinastri [2][Note 3]
• Dasysyrphus tricinctus [2]
• Dasysyrphus venustus [2]

Didea

• Didea alneti [2]
• Didea fasciata [2]
• Didea intermedia [2]

Doros

• Doros profuges [2][Note 4]

Epistrophe

Subgenus Epistrophe

• Epistrophe diaphana [2]
• Epistrophe eligans [2]
• Epistrophe grossulariae [2]
• Epistrophe melanostoma [2]
• Epistrophe nitidicollis [2]
• Epistrophe ochrostoma [2]

Episyrphus

• Episyrphus balteatus [2]

Eriozona

Subgenus Eriozona

• Eriozona syrphoides [2]

Megasyrphus

• Megasyrphus erraticus [2][12] (syn. Megasyrphus annulipes)

Eupeodes[Note 5]

Subgenus Eupeodes

• Eupeodes corollae [2]
• Eupeodes latifasciatus [2]
• Eupeodes latilunulatus [2] (bucculatus)
• Eupeodes lundbecki [2]
• Eupeodes luniger [2]
• Eupeodes nielseni [2]
• Eupeodes nitens [2]

Subgenus Lapposyrphus

• Eupeodes lapponicus [2]

Leucozona

Subgenus Ischyrosyrphus

• Leucozona glaucia [2]
• Leucozona laternaria [2]

Subgenus Leucozona

• Leucozona lucorum [2]

Melangyna

• Melangyna arctica [2]
• Melangyna barbifrons [2]
• Melangyna cincta [2]
• Melangyna compositarum [2]
• Melangyna ericarum [2]
• Melangyna labiatarum [2]
• Melangyna lasiophthalma [2]
• Melangyna quadrimaculata [2]
• Melangyna umbellatarum [2]

Meligramma

• Meligramma euchromum [2]
• Meligramma guttata [2]
• Meligramma triangulifera [2]

Meliscaeva

• Meliscaeva auricollis [2]
• Meliscaeva cinctella [2]

Parasyrphus

• Parasyrphus annulatus [2]
• Parasyrphus lineolus [2]
• Parasyrphus malinellus [2]
• Parasyrphus nigritarsis [2][13]
• Parasyrphus punctulatus [2]
• Parasyrphus vittiger [2]

Scaeva

• Scaeva albomaculata [2]
• Scaeva dignota [14]
• Scaeva mecogramma [2]
• Scaeva pyrastri [2]
• Scaeva selenitica [2]

Sphaerophoria

• Sphaerophoria bankowskae [2][9][15][16]
• Sphaerophoria batava [2][17]
• Sphaerophoria fatarum [2][9][15][18]
• Sphaerophoria interrupta [2]
• Sphaerophoria loewi [2]
• Sphaerophoria philanthus [2]
• Sphaerophoria potentillae [2][9][19][20]
• Sphaerophoria rueppellii [2]
• Sphaerophoria scripta [2]
• Sphaerophoria taeniata [2]
• Sphaerophoria virgata [2]

Syrphus

• Syrphus ribesii [2]
• Syrphus torvus [2]
• Syrphus vitripennis [2]

Xanthogramma

• Xanthogramma citrofasciatum [2]
• Xanthogramma pedissequum [2]
• Xanthogramma stackelbergi[21]

Subfamily Milesiinae

Tribe Callicerini

Callicera

• Callicera aurata [2][Note 6]
• Callicera rufa [2]
• Callicera spinolae [2]

Tribe Cheilosiini

Cheilosia

• Cheilosia ahenea [22]
• Cheilosia albipila [2]
• Cheilosia albitarsis [2]
• Cheilosia antiqua [2]
• Cheilosia barbata [2]
• Cheilosia bergenstammi [2]
• Cheilosia caerulescens [23]
• Cheilosia carbonaria [2]
• Cheilosia chrysocoma [2]
• Cheilosia cynocephala [2]
• Cheilosia fraterna [2]
• Cheilosia griseiventris [2]
• Cheilosia grossa [2]
• Cheilosia illustrata [2]
• Cheilosia impressa [2]
• Cheilosia lasiopa [2][Note 7]
• Cheilosia latifrons [2] (syn. C. intonsa)
• Cheilosia longula [2]
• Cheilosia mutabilis [2]
• Cheilosia nebulosa [2]
• Cheilosia nigripes [2]
• Cheilosia pagana [2]
• Cheilosia praecox [2] (syn. C. globulipes)
• Cheilosia proxima [2]
• Cheilosia psilophthalma [2][24]
• Cheilosia pubera [2]
• Cheilosia sahlbergi [2]
• Cheilosia scutellata [2]
• Cheilosia semifasciata [2]
• Cheilosia soror [2]
• Cheilosia uviformis [2]
• Cheilosia variabilis [2]
• Cheilosia velutina [2]
• Cheilosia vernalis [2]
• Cheilosia vicina [2] (syn. C. nasutula)
• Cheilosia vulpina [2]

Ferdinandea

• Ferdinandea cuprea [2]
• Ferdinandea ruficornis [2]

Portevinia

• Portevinia maculata [2]

Rhingia

• Rhingia campestris [2]
• Rhingia rostrata [2]

Tribe Chrysogastrini

Brachyopa

• Brachyopa bicolor [2]
• Brachyopa insensilis [2]
• Brachyopa pilosa [2]
• Brachyopa scutellaris [2]

Chrysogaster

• Chrysogaster cemiteriorum [2] (syn. Ch. chalybeata)
• Chrysogaster solstitialis [2]
• Chrysogaster virescens [2]

Hammerschmidtia

• Hammerschmidtia ferruginea [2]

Lejogaster

Subgenus Liogaster

• Lejogaster metallina [2]
• Lejogaster tarsata [2] (syn. L. splendida)

Melanogaster[Note 8]

• Melanogaster aerosa [2][Note 9]
• Melanogaster hirtella [2]

Myolepta

• Myolepta dubia [2][Note 10]
• Myolepta potens [2]

Neoascia

Subgenus Neoascia

• Neoascia podagrica [2]
• Neoascia tenur [2]

Subgenus Neoasciella

• Neoascia geniculata [2]
• Neoascia interrupta [2]
• Neoascia meticulosa [2]
• Neoascia obliqua [2]

Orthonevra

• Orthonevra brevicornis [2]
• Orthonevra geniculata [2]
• Orthonevra intermedia [25]
• Orthonevra nobilis [2]

Riponnensia

• Riponnensia splendens [2]

Sphegina

Subgenus Asiosphegina

• Sphegina sibirica [26]

Subgenus Sphegina

• Sphegina clunipes [2]
• Sphegina elegans [2] (syn. Sphegina kimakowiczi)
• Sphegina verecunda [2]

Tribe Eristalini

Anasimyia

• Anasimyia contracta [2]
• Anasimyia interpuncta [2]
• Anasimyia lineata [2]
• Anasimyia lunulata [2]
• Anasimyia transfuga [2]

Eristalinus

Subgenus Eristalinus

• Eristalinus sepulchralis [2]

Subgenus Lathyrophthalmus

• Eristalinus aeneus [2]

Eristalis

Subgenus Eoseristalis

• Eristalis abusiva [2]
• Eristalis arbustorum [2]
• Eristalis cryptarum [2]
• Eristalis horticola [2]
• Eristalis interruptus [2][Note 11]
• Eristalis intricarius [2]
• Eristalis pertinax [2]
• Eristalis rupium [2]
• Eristalis similis [2]

Subgenus Eristalis

• Eristalis tenax [2]

Helophilus

• Helophilus affinis [2][27]
• Helophilus groenlandicus [2]
• Helophilus hybridus [2]
• Helophilus pendulus [2]
• Helophilus trivittatus [2]

Lejops

• Lejops vittatus [2]

Mallota

• Mallota cimbiciformis [2]

Myathropa

• Myathropa florea [2]

Parhelophilus

• Parhelophilus consimilis [2]
• Parhelophilus frutetorum [2]
• Parhelophilus versicolor [2]

Tribe Merodontini (incorporating Eumerini)

Eumerus

• Eumerus funeralis
• Eumerus ornatus [2]
• Eumerus sabulonum [2]
• Eumerus sogdianus [28]
• Eumerus strigatus [2]

Merodon

• Merodon equestris [2]

Platynochaetus

• Platynochaetus setosus (accidental import on vegetables) [29]

Psilota

• Psilota anthracina [2]

Tribe Pelecocerini

Chamaesyrphus

• Chamaesyrphus caledonicus [2]
• Chamaesyrphus scaevoides [2]

Pelecocera

• Pelecocera tricincta [2]

Tribe Pipizini

Heringia

Subgenus Heringia

• Heringia heringi [2]

Subgenus Neocnemodon

• Heringia brevidens [2]
• Heringia latitarsis [2]
• Heringia pubescens [2]
• Heringia verrucula [2]
• Heringia vitripennis [2]

Pipiza

• Pipiza austriaca [2]
• Pipiza bimaculata [2]
• Pipiza fenestrata [2]
• Pipiza lugubris [2]
• Pipiza luteitarsis [2]
• Pipiza noctiluca [2]

Pipizella

• Pipizella maculipennis [2]
• Pipizella virens [2]

Trichopsomyia

• Trichopsomyia flavitarsis [2]

Triglyphus

• Triglyphus primus [2]

Tribe Sericomyiini

Arctophila

• Arctophila superbiens [2] (syn. A. fulva)

Sericomyia

• Sericomyia lappona [2]
• Sericomyia silentis [2]

Tribe Volucellini

Volucella

• Volucella bombylans [2]
• Volucella inanis [2]
• Volucella inflata [2]
• Volucella pellucens [2]
• Volucella zonaria [2]

Tribe Xylotini

Blera

• Blera fallax [2]

Brachypalpoides

• Brachypalpoides lentus [2][Note 12]

Brachypalpus

• Brachypalpus laphriformis [2]

Caliprobola

• Caliprobola speciosa [2]

Chalcosyrphus

Subgenus Xylotina

• Chalcosyrphus nemorum [2]

Subgenus Xylotodes

• Chalcosyrphus eunotus [2]

Criorhina

• Criorhina asilica [2]
• Criorhina berberina [2]
• Criorhina floccosa [2]
• Criorhina ranunculi [2]

Pocota

• Pocota personata [2]

Syritta

• Syritta pipiens [2]

Tropidia

• Tropidia scita [2]

Xylota

• Xylota abiens [2]
• Xylota coeruleiventris [2]
• Xylota florum [2]
• Xylota jakutorum [1]
• Xylota segnis [2]
• Xylota sylvarum [2]
• Xylota tarda [2]
• Xylota xanthocnema [2]

Subfamily Microdontinae

Microdon

• Microdon analis [2] (syn. M. eggeri)
• Microdon devius [2]
• Microdon mutabilis [2]
• Microdon myrmicae [30]

Notes

1. Incorporating Melanostomatini
2. Incorporating Chrysotoxini
3. listed as D. lunulatus by Stubbs & Falk (1983)
4. listed as D. conopseus by Stubbs & Falk (1983)
5. Metasyrphus of Stubbs & Falk (1983)
6. listed in Stubbs & Falk (1983) as C. aenea
7. listed as C. honesta by Stubbs & Falk (1983)
8. included in Chrysogaster in Stubbs & Falk (1983)
9. listed as Chrysogaster macquarti in Stubbs & Falk (1983)
10. listed as M. luteola in Stubbs & Falk (1983)
11. listed as E. nemorum by Stubbs & Falk (1983)
12. listed in Stubbs & Falk (1983) as B. lenta

References

1. Stubbs & Falk (1983)
2. Chandler, Peter J. (1998). "Checklists of Insects of the British Isles (New Series) Part 1: Diptera". Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 12. Royal Entomological Society: 1–234. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. Grayson, Andrew (2002). "Platycheirus amplus Curran, 1927 (Diptera, Syrphidae) new to England". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 9 (1): 87–93.
4. Stubbs, Alan E. (2002). "Advances in the understanding of the Platycheirus scutatus (Meigen) complex in Britain, including the addition of Platycheirus aurolateralis sp. n. (Diptera, Syrphidae)". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 9 (1): 75–80.
5. de Tiefenau, Pierre Goeldlin; Maibach, Alain; Speight, Martin C. D. (1990). "Sur quelques especes de Platycheirus (Diptera, Syrphidae) nouvelles ou maconnues". Dipterists Digest. First series (in French). 5 (1): 19–44.
6. Vockeroth, J. R. (1990). "Revision of the Nearctic species of Platycheirus (Diptera, Syrphidae)". Canadian Entomologist. 122 (4): 659–766. doi:10.4039/Ent122659-7.
7. Falk, Steven J.; Stubbs, Alan E. (1991). "Further records and observations of Platycheirus species (Syrphidae) recently added to the British list, with discussion on the identification of P. ramsaerensis". Dipterists Digest. First series. 10 (1): 40–45.
8. Rotheray, G. E. (1998). "Platycheirus splendidus sp. n. from Britain formerly confused with Platycheirus scutatus (Diptera: Syrphidae)". Entomologist's Gazette. 49 (4): 271–276.
9. Stubbs, A.E.; Falk, S.J. (2002). British hoverflies, an illustrated identification guide (Second ed.). Reading: British Entomological and Natural History Society. pp. 1–469. ISBN 978-1899935055.
10. Rabarts, Ian W. (18 Feb 2011). "Dasysyrphus pauxillus (Williston) (Diptera, Syrphidae) new to Britain in Breckland". Dipterists Digest. Second Series. Dipterists Forum. 17 (2): 157–161.
11. Parker, Mick (2013). "An additional British site for Dasysyrphus pauxillus (Williston) (Diptera, Syrphidae)". Dipterists Digest. Second Series. Dipterists Forum. 20 (2): 119.
12. Chandler, Peter J. (December 2011). "Corrections and changes to the Diptera Checklist". Dipterists Digest. Second Series. 18 (2): 203–204.
13. MacGowan, Iain; Watt, Kenneth (1994). "A further record of Parasyrphus nigritarsis (Zetterstedt, 1843) (Diptera: Syrphidae), with a review of its known distribution in Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 1 (1): 26–29.
14. Wright, Adam S. (2013). "Scaeva dignota (Rondani, (Diptera: Syrphidae), New to Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 20 (2): 151–152.
15. Goeldlin de Tiefenau, P. (1989). "Sur plusieurs especes de Sphaerophoria (Dipt., Syrphidae) nouvelles ou meconnues des regions palearctique et nearctique". Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft. 62: 41–66.
16. Plant, Colin. W. (1990). "Sphaerophoria bankowskae Goeldlin, 1989 (Syrphidae) recorded in mainland Britain" (PDF). Dipterists Digest. First Series. Dipterists Forum. 3: 32–33. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
17. Goeldlin de Tiefenau, P. (1974). "Contribution a l'etude systematique et ecologique des Syrphidae (Dipt.) de la Suisse occidentale". Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft. 47 (3–4): 151–252.
18. Speight, Martin C.D. (1989). "Sphaerophoria fatarum in the British Isles (Syrphidae)" (PDF). Dipterists Digest. First Series. Dipterists Forum. 2: 34. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
19. Claussen, C. (1984). "Sphaerophoria potentillae n. sp. - eine neue Syrphiden-Art aus Nordwestdeutschland (Diptera: Syrphidae)". Entomologische Zeitschrift. 94 (17): 245–250. ISSN 0013-8843.
20. Stubbs, Alan E. (1989). "An additional British Sphaerophoria discovered in Devon" (PDF). Dipterists Digest. First Series. Dipterists Forum. 2: 34–35. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
21. Stubbs, Alan E. (2012). "Xanthogramma stackelbergi Violovitsh, 1975 (Diptera: Syrphidae), in Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 19 (1): 102.
22. Parker, M. J. (2001). "Cheilosia ahenea von Roser (Diptera, Syrphidae) new to Great Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 8 (1): 24–26.
23. Collins, G. A. & Halstead, A. J. (August 2008). "Cheilosia caerulescens (Meigen, 1822) (Diptera, Syrphidae) new to Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 15 (1): 23–26.
24. Falk, Steven (2002). "Cheilosia psilophthalma Becker, 1894 (Diptera, Syrphidae) confirmed as present in Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 9 (2): 87–93.
25. Drake, C. Martin (2006). "Orthonevra intermedia Lundbeck, 1916 (Diptera, Syrphidae) new to Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 13 (2): 87–91.
26. Stubbs, Alan (1994). "Sphegina (Asiosphegina) sibirica Stackelberg, 1953 a new species and sub-genus of hoverfly (Diptera. Syrphidae) in Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 1 (1): 23–25.
27. Stuke, Jens-Hermann (1996). "Helophilus affmis new to the British Isles (Diptera, Syrphidae)". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 3 (1): 45–46.
28. Wright, Adam S. (2013). "Eumerus sogdianus Stackelberg (Diptera, Syrphidae) new to Britain". Dipterists Digest. 2. Dipterists Forum. 20 (1): 15–16.
29. Irwin, A.G. (2012). "The hoverfly Platynochaetus setosus (Fabricius) (Diptera: Syrphidae), found alive in Britain". Dipterists Digest. Second series. 19 (1): 99.
30. Schönrogge, K; Barr, B.; Wardlaw, J. C.; Napper, E.; Gardner, M. G.; Breen, J.; Elmes, G. W.; Thomas, J. A. (2002). "When rare species become endangered: cryptic speciation in myrmecophilous hoverflies". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 75 (3): 291–300. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2002.tb02070.x.

Bibliography

• Ball, Stuart; Morris, Roger (2013). Britain's Hoverflies: An Introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain. Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-691-15659-0.
• Chandler, Peter J. (1998). Checklists of Insects of the British Isles (New Series) Part 1: Diptera. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. New Series. 12. London: Royal Entomological Society of London. pp. 1–234. ISBN 0-901546-82-8.
• Stubbs, Alan E.; Falk, Steven J (1983). British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide (2nd ed.). London: British Entomological and Natural History Society. pp. 253, xv. ISBN 1-899935-03-7.