Aspen hoverfly  (Hammerschmidtia ferruginea)

Range

Before 1990 this fly was known from just eight Scottish sites. It has not declined since it was first discovered in 1905 and has always been one of Britain’s rarest hoverflies (4).The fly is now known to occur in 12 sites in northeast Scotland, after a thorough survey by the Malloch Society (4). It is thought to be endangered in Europe (2).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Habitat

This species is an indicator of ancient woodlands (2). It is found only in large mature aspen (Populus tremula) woodlands or pine and birch woodlands with some aspen (4). Only stands of aspen larger than 4.5 hectares in size are suitable to maintain this species (2).

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