Species details

Cheilosia fraterna (Meigen, 1830)

Nomenclature

The specimen described as "Cheilosia species C" of Stubbs & Falk (1983), seems to be a particularly small individual from the second generation of this species (Falk quoted in Stubbs, 1996).

Biology

The larva tunnels the stems and basal rosettes of Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre. Adults are often seen visiting flowers such as buttercups Ranunculus sp. in marshy places and damp meadows. According to Speight (2010) this is a woodland species found in clearings, often along streams or rivers with tall herb communities.

Distribution

Although widely distributed and frequent, this species seems to be more abundant in the north and west. It is also considerably less common in the East Midlands.