Species details

Cheilosia barbata Loew, 1857

Biology

Very little is known about the biology of this species. The larva is undescribed. Adults occur on Chalk downs or in woodlands on clay, or occasionally on sandy soils, as in Surrey where they visit a wide range of white and yellow flowers including most white umbels and Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa.

Distribution

Mainly recorded from southern downland extending from Kent, through Surrey and Sussex to Hampshire, and in woodlands on the clay through Oxfordshire to Warwickshire. There is also a small population on Chalk in Cambridgeshire.

Status

Lower Risk (Nationally scarce) - Ball & Morris, 2010. Notable - Falk, 1991.