Species details
Eumerus narcissi Smith, 1928
Description Eumerus narcissi Smith, 1928 was added to the British list, based on five male specimens taken from two sites on St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly in 2022, and single male specimens taken from two sites on the Cornish mainland in 2020 and 2022 (Thomas, et al., 2023). This is a member of the Eumerus strigatus group of species, which now comprises E. funeralis, E. strigatus, E. sogdianus and E. narcissi on the British list. Apart from E. funeralis, these can only be distinguished by examining the male genitalia.
BiologyEumerus narcissi has been reared from Narcissus bulbs on multiple occasions in America. There are also specimens in American collections purportedly reared from Hippeastrum and ‘onion’ (presumably Allium cepa) (Speight et al. 2013) suggesting that while Narcissus is the main host, E. narcissi can develop on other families of bulbs. Information on the specific Narcissus taxa involved in these rearing records is mostly lacking.
DistributionEumerus narcissi was first described from California by Smith (1928). Given that the genus is not native to the Americas, Smith assumed that E. narcissi was an introduced species in California and suggested that it was likely of European origin. It was not recorded in Europe until 2010, when specimens were collected in southern France. It has subsequently been found in other locations in southern France and also in Corsica.
StatusIt seems likely that this species arrived in Scilly and west Cornwall via imported bulbs probably from France, but (less likely) from America.