Dasysyrphus friuliensis (van der Goot, 1960)

Identification

Identification difficulty = 4. according to Ball & Morris, 2024¹

Biology

The larva is aphid-feeding and overwinters in leaf litter on the forest floor. Adults have most often been found in rides, or near the edges of coniferous plantations where they visit flowers such as white umbels and buttercups Ranunculus sp. In Europe it is considered to be associated with Spruce Picea forests and plantations.

Flight period

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

Distribution

This species was first recorded in Britain in 1979 from Yorkshire, and has subsequently been found in a number of localities in central and southern Wales and north and central England. Records extend as far as Sutherland but are very curiously distributed, suggesting that there may be problems with identification.