Species details

Callicera aurata (Rossi, 1790)

Nomenclature

Callicera aenea (Fabricius, 1777) in Coe (1953), Kloet & Hincks (1976) and Stubbs & Falk (1983) see Speight (1991).

Biology

The larva is a filter-feeder of microbes in water-filled rot-holes of Beech Fagus and Birch Betula and probably other tree species. Adults are rarely encountered, but have been recorded from a variety of flowers, including Hawthorn Crataegus, Cotoneaster, species of Scabious Scabiosa, umbellifers such as Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium and Ivy Hedera helix.

Distribution

This is primarily a southern species that appears to be getting commoner. Most records are of single individuals but there have been occasional reports of several individuals occurring at the same time. The majority of records are from the wider countryside but records from Wolverhampton suggest that it does occur in urban locations too. There are outlying records from Cumbria and a recent record from Dunfermlin in Scotland (Little & Rotheray, 2007). Seems to have become more frequent and widespread since 2000.

Status

Lower Risk (Nationally scarce) - Ball & Morris, 2010. Rare (RDB3) - Falk, 1991. Vulnerable (RDB2) - Shirt, 1987.