Hoverfly season about to start

Hoverfly season is about to start (17th March) and I have just received a reply from Roger Morris of the Hoverfly Recording Scheme with the results of the specimens I took last year and its good news, with 7 species new for the valley taken our total to 142. Results are below - 


New for valley

Brachyopa Pilosa     07 May 2019 Garnwen [SS8392] - 3rd for Wales, new for Glamorgan.

A local species, mainly in south England, larva feed in sap suns of Aspen. It was taken feeding on Sycamore, the only Aspen in the area is of a single tree at Maesteg Golf Course about 600 metres away across the main road.

Eumerus funeralis     20 May Blaencaerau [SS8694] - frequent in UK.

Common species frequently seen in gardens, whose Larva feed on bulbous plants like Daffodil, Iris and Bluebell. Adult was taken at Dogwood at the back of Railway Terrace near a large Yellow Iris bed about 10 individuals were present, probably all this species. Incidentally Eumerus strigatus (also new for valley) was also taken at this site but later in the year (August/September), and there was no flight season overlap. 

Parhelophilus frutetorum     20 May 2019 Blaencaerau [SS8694] - frequent in UK.

Common species usually associated with reed-beds and bull-rush ponds, mainly coastal in Wales. An adult was taken at one of the drainage ponds covered in bull-rush at the colliery spoil site behind Railway Terrace. Parhelophilus versicolor was also present in much larger numbers.

Platycheirus aurolateralis   23 May 2019 Caerau [SS8594] - New for Wales and Glamorgan. 

An extremely rare species with less than 15 UK records, all in southern England. Very little is known about the species and was taken by sweeping the dry grassland of the colliery spoil, part of which is in the Caerau 1 kilometre square.

Psilota anthracina     06 June 2019 Gilfach (west) [SS8487] - New for Wales and Glamorgan.

A scarce species of ancient beech woodland in the UK, with records mostly around the New Forest, Hampshire and Windsor Park, London. But on the continent it is a species of spruce plantation. It was at such a plantation that the specimen was taken feeding on Ground Elder. A further 2 adults were at the same site on 19 June 2019.

Xylota tarda     06 June 2019 Gilfach (west) [SS8487] - 3rd for Wales and new for Glamorgan.

A scarce species associated with Aspen, mainly in southern England but with scattered records elsewhere. Taken at the car park flowers, there may be Aspen a little way down the valley, but none in the immediate vicinity.

Melangyna arctica     09 June 2019 Garnwen [SS8392] - New for Glamorgan.

A frequent species of spruce plantations in northern and western UK, but is the furthest south in Wales it has been recorded.




Other goods records

Cheilosia fraterna (7), Cheilosia ranunculi (1), Cheilosia vernalis (2), Chrysogaster virescens (1), Dasysyrphus pinastri (3), Dasysyrphus venustus (3), Eupeodes lapponicus (2), Lejogaster metallina (1), Melangyna labiatarum (2), Neoascia meticulosa (1), Orthonevra nobilis (2), Parasyrphus punctulatus (1), Parhelophilus versicolor (1), Pipiza noctiluca (1), Platycheirus tarsalis (3) and Sphaerophoria philanthus (1)

Common records

Cheilosia albitarsis (3), Cheilosia bergenstammi (2), Cheilosia impressa (1), Cheilosia pagana (6), Cheilosia proxima (14), Cheilosia scutellata (9), Cheilosia variabilis (8), Chrysogaster solstitialis (2), Chrysotoxum arcuatum (1), Eupeodes corollae (3), Eupeodes luniger (2), Melanogaster hirtella (10), Melanostoma mellinum (2), Melanostoma scalare (2), Meliscaeva auricollis (1), Neoascia podagrica (1), Pipizella viduata (3), Platycheirus albimanus (1), Platycheirus scutatus (2), Sphaerophoria scripta (1), Sphegina clunipes (3), Sphegina sibirica (7), Syrphus ribesii (1), Syrphus torvus (1), Syrphus vitripennis (2) and Xylota jakutorum (1).



On the recording front the 10 kilometre square at the top of the valley is now the highest recording square in Wales, while the lower valley square is 4th, list below - 

Caerau/ Maesteg - 133
Bangor - 130
Oxwich, Gower - 123
Llangynwyd - 119

I also have a number of photo of specimens that I took and I'll show them in the next post.