Taxonomy

Brachypalpus laphriformis

Distribution

Species Biology

Preferred environment

Deciduous forest; over-mature Fagus and Quercus forest with senescent trees and fallen, rotting timber.

Adult habitat & habits

Males engage in rapid, zigzag flight along the trunks of fallen and felled deciduous trees, in clearings, not infrequently settling on the bark, in the sun; in flight they emit a characteristic, high-pitched buzz; they also settle on the trunks of standing, live trees, in the sun; the female can be found investigating fallen trees, but does not settle on them in the sun - on occasion can be found on the cut end of a felled tree or walking around the periphery of a tree hole, or settled on the foliage of trees at upwards of 2m from the ground; both sexes visit the flowers of certain trees.

Flight period

End May/end June, with a few records for early July. Larva: described and figured by Rotheray (1991) and illustrated in colour (apparently from a preserved larva) by Rotheray (1994), from a larva collected from exudates of a rot-hole in the trunk of Taxusand another from sappy water in a sub-bark cavity on the trunk of a live Quercus. From the habits of the adults, it is likely that the larvae of B. laphriformis might also be found in association with Acer, Castanea and Prunus. According to Bartsch et al (2009b), this species may be associated with Pinus in Sweden.

Flowers visited

Umbellifers; Berberis, Crataegus, Photinia, Prunus serotina, Sorbus.

Irish reference specimens

In the collections of NMI

Determination

Speight (1999b). See Key provided in StN Keys volume. The male terminalia are figured by Hippa (1978) and the adult insect is illustrated in colour by Bartsch et al (2009b), Stubbs, and Falk (1983), Torp (1984, 1994) and van der Goot (1986). Andersson (1988) states that the name valgus (Panzer) should be applied to this species, rather than to the Brachypalpus species to which it is applied by most recent authors. However this recommendation is not currently followed.

Distribution

World distribution(GBIF)

Southern Fennoscandia south to the Pyrenees; Ireland east through much of central Europe (and northern Italy) to the former Yugoslavia and European parts of Russia. It is apparently endemic to Europe.

Irish distribution

Recorded as occurring in Ireland in Coe (1953). Erroneously removed from the Irish list by Speight (1980a) on grounds of supposed extinction, and subsequently reinstated by Speight (1985a). The only Irish locality from which B. laphriformis has been recorded in the last 50 years is a fringe of deciduous woodland, including a few overmature beech and sycamore, edging young conifer plantation near Laragh (Wicklow). Earlier this century it was recorded from an old oak (Quercus) woodland locality in the same county, since converted to conifer plantation. It would seem likely that this insect was originally associated with oak forest in Ireland. There is every justification for regarding this insect as endangered in Ireland. It would be a high priority for inclusion in lists of species threatened in Ireland. Although it is widely distributed in Europe in general, and probably the most frequently met with Brachypalpus species in Europe, this insect is recognised as either threatened or decreasing in some parts of continental Europe, as well as in Ireland. 

Temporal change

Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024

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References

Publications

Speight, M. C. D. (2008) Database of Irish Syrphidae (Diptera). Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 36. National Parks and Wildlife Service. Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin, Ireland.

Speight, M.C.D. (2014) Species accounts of European Syrphidae (Diptera), 2014. Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae, vol. 78, 321 pp., Syrph the Net publications, Dublin.

Images