Species details

Eumerus funeralis Meigen, 1822

Nomenclature

Eumerus tuberculatus Rondani, 1857 in Ball & Morris (2000), Rotheray (1993), Stubbs & Falk (1983) .

Biology

The larva mines damaged bulbs of daffodils Narcissus and many other cultivated and wild species. Adults are usually found low in vegetation or resting on dead stems or bare patches of soil. They might be overlooked as a small mining bee such as the genus Lasioglossum.

Distribution

This is predominantly a southern species and is especially abundant in the 'home counties', but also occurs in scattered localities north to the Spey valley. It is especially frequent in gardens where it is known to gardeners as the 'lesser bulb fly' and regarded as a pest. Speight (1985) concludes that this species is not established in Ireland. The frequency with which this species has been recorded has declined significantly over the past few decades.

Status

E. funeralis was added to the British list by Collin (1918) and the recording scheme holds only one pre-1920 record, a museum specimen taken in Surrey in 1905. It was probably accidentally introduced in bulbs imported from southern or central Europe.