Taxonomy
Dasysyrphus pinastri
Distribution
Species Biology
Preferred environment
Conifer forest (Abies, Picea and Pinus) and conifer plantation, plus montane Betula woods. The confused nomenclatural history of this taxon (see Determination section below) makes it necessary to refer to the interpretation of it that is followed here, before any remarks can be made concerning its ecology. The interpretation used here is that of Doczkal (1996). D. pinastri is essentially a species of humid conifer forests, though at the northern end of its range it may be found in association with birch. In Ireland, there is no indication of an association with birch, and the species is found with conifer plantations. Unless it can be demonstrated that D. pinastri can be reared on aphids found associated with birch in Ireland it has to be assumed that it is a recent colonist, which has established itself since conifers were introduced here for forestry purposes.
Adult habitat & habits
Largely arboreal, but descends to visit flowers.
Flight period
April/June and July/beginning of August at higher altitudes/more northerly latitudes. Larva: figured by Nielsen et al (1954) (re-examination of Icelandic specimens demonstrates that the only lunulatus-group species present in Iceland is apparently D. pinastri itself); aphid feeding; Kula (1982) records larvae probably of this species as overwintering among leaf litter on the floor of spruce (Picea) forest. Egg: Chandler (1968).
Flowers visited
Caltha, Crataegus, Crepis paludosa, Euphorbia, Fragaria, Frangula alnus, Galium, Heracleum, Hieracium, Lonicera xylosteum, Prunus spinosa, Ranunculus, Rosa rugosa, Salix repens, Sorbus aucuparia, Stellaria.
Irish reference specimens
In the collections of NMI and UM
Determination
Doczkal (1996a), as D. pinastri (DeG.) - this is the Dasysyrphus lunulatus of recent European authors, e.g. Goeldlin (1974), who redefined the species and published the designation of a lectotype for it. However, Vockeroth (1986a, 1992) disputed the identity of the lectotype of lunulatus, referring to a manuscript by Thompson and Nielsen in which it is apparently claimed that lunulatus is a synonym of venustus and suggested that the name pinastri (De Geer) should be used for lunulatus of Goeldlin and other authors. Unfortunately, no neotype had then been designated for pinastri and Vockeroth (1986a) defined his concept of this species only in terms of the definitions provided by Coe (1953) and van der Goot (1981) for D. lunulatus, which do not adequately distinguish the taxon from D. lenensis (Bag.) or D. nigricornis (Verrall). Further, the Thompson and Nielsen paper to which Vockeroth refers has never appeared in published form. More recently, Bicik and Laska (1996) have attempted to define European taxa previously confused with D. pinastri, recognising the additional species as D. nigricornis (Verrall) nec aucct and D. pauxillus (Williston). Supposed distinctions between these three taxa are provided by Bicik and Laska (1996), though the distinctions given for separating D. pinastri from D. nigricornis are unconvincing. Doczkal (1996a) provides distinctions between D. pinastri, D. pauxillus and D. lenensis Bagatshanova, recording the latter species for the first time from central Europe. However, there are noticeable differences between the N. American D. pauxillus, as redescribed by Vockeroth (1992), and European material supposedly belonging to this same species as defined by Bicik and Laska (1996) and Doczkal (1996a). Further, the distinctions referred to by Doczkal (1996a) for separation of D. lenensis and D. pinastri do not seem reliable, specimens frequently exhibiting a mixture of the characters of both taxa. A final complication derives from the fact that Thompson and Pont (1994) designated as neotype of pinastri de Geer's figure of this species. There is no indication given by Thompson and Pont (l.c.) that they were aware of the presence in Europe of the taxa currently referred to as D. lenensis and D. pauxillus and they provide no definition of pinastri which would help to decide to which species they are applying the name, beyond stating that they are referring to "lunulatus of authors". There is no basis for concluding that either the original description or figure of pinastri may be used to decide to which species they refer. For those authors who wish to apply the name pinastri to this taxon, the only way to do so would seem to be to refer to it as pinastri (DeGeer) sensu Doczkal (1996a), since Doczkal is the only author to link the neotype designation of pinastri to any usable description of a species. The male terminalia of D. pinastri have been figured by Doczkal (1996a) and Vockeroth (1992). The adult insect is supposedly illustrated in colour by Kormann (1988), Stubbs and Falk (1983), Haarto and Kerppola (2007a) and Bartsch et al (2009a). But whether these various authors are referring to the same taxon under the name D. pinastri is not clear.
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Greenland, Iceland and Fennoscandia south to the Pyrenees; from Ireland eastwards through northern and central Europe (plus mountainous parts of northern Italy and the former Yugoslavia) into Turkey and European parts of Russia; through Siberia from the Urals to Yakutia.
Irish distribution
Recorded as occurring in Ireland in Coe (1953), under the name lunulatus (Meigen). There are few Irish records of this species, widely scattered except in the south-east, where it would seem to be well-established. Given that D. pinastri may be a recent arrival in Ireland and habitat appropriate to it seems to be increasingly available here, it is not realistic to categorise the species as threatened on the basis of the small number of records. A pragmatic solution is to regard its status here as indeterminate at present.
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.