Species details

Sphaerophoria fatarum Goeldlin de Tiefenau, 1989

Nomenclature

Sphaerophoria abbreviata Zetterstedt in Kloet & Hincks (1976) and Stubbs & Falk (1983) - see Speight (1989). The true S. abbreviata is a northern Scandinavian species (Speight, 2010).

Biology

Larva unknown. It is usually found in open, heathy vegetation, and in the Scottish Highlands. This is one of the characteristic species of wet areas on open moorland and heathland. It also occurs in heathy rides in conifer plantation and other woodland. Adults are usually found by sweeping, but it will also visit flowers such as Tormentil Potentilla erecta and buttercups Ranunculus sp.

Distribution

This is a frequent species in Scotland and northern England where it is often the commonest member of the genus. It also occurs in Wales and on heathland in southern England, where it is scarce but widely distributed on Calluna heath.