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Callicera spinolae Rondani, 1844


Identification

Identification difficulty = 2. magnifier_icon camera_icon_question according to Ball & Morris, 20241

Biology

The larvae inhabits rot-holes and have been found in Beech Fagus, Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastaneum and Field Maple Acer campestris, and Poplar Populus sp. (Russian record). Trees bearing suitable rot-holes are not necessarily large or ancient. Larvae have also been found in heart rot extending a long way into the tree, potentially making them more difficult to find than other Callicera larvae. This is a species which has a tendency to turn up at new sites for a period of years and then disappear again, suggesting ready mobility and transient populations.

Flight period

The following plots show the number of unique records per week that were not reported to be of eggs, larvae or pupae. phenology

Status

VULNERABLE - Ball & Morris, 20142. Endangered (RDB1) - Falk, 19913 and Shirt, 19874.

Distribution

This species was confined to East Anglia, with recent records from Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk. Most records for Norfolk and Suffolk are old, although there is a 2007 record from Winterton in Norfolk. In recent years it has shown some indications of expanding its range with records, for example, from Surrey. It has also been recorded more frequently although it is not possible to say whether this is because more people are looking for this highly photogenic species. dotmap


  1. Ball, S., & Morris, R. (2024). Hoverflies of Britain and Ireland. WILDGuides (3rd ed.). Oxford: Princeton University Press. 

  2. Ball, S., & Morris, R. (2014). A review of the scarce and threatened flies of Great Britain. Part 6: Syrphidae. ( No. 9). Species status (pp. 1–130). Peterborough: JNCC. 

  3. Falk, S. (1991). A review of the scarce and threatened flies of Great Britain. ( No. 39). Research and Survey in Nature Conservation (pp. 1–194). Peterborough: NCC. 

  4. Shirt, D. (Ed.). (1987). Red Data Books: 2. Insects. Peterborough: NCC.