Once thought extinct hoverfly discovered in Forest of Dean

08/12/2009 08:56:14 Hoverfly spotted by local naturalist
November 2009. A hoverfly, which was once listed as extinct and is classified as an endangered species, has been discovered at the Forestry Commission's Welshbury Wood in the Forest of Dean.

The rare species called Myolepta potens, also known as the Western Wood-vase Hoverfly, breeds in wet rot holes of mature deciduous trees. It requires pools of water that collect in rot-holes in trees, or where branches join the main trunk, for eggs to be laid and larvae to develop.

1 specimen found in Herefordshire in 2002
A handful of specimens were spotted in the Bristol area between the 1940s and 1961 and there is a record of larvae found in Herefordshire in 2002, but nothing in Gloucestershire until now.

Many hoverflies have ornate body patterns, often black and yellow and mimic the colourings and habits of wasps and other stinging insects, in order to avoid falling prey to birds who don't want to get stung!

This hoverfly has a yellow colouring on the abdomen, visible through closed wings, giving the impression of yellow wing-bases. This was one of the characteristics, which drew the attention of John Phillips, a local naturalist living and working in the Forest of Dean.

Mr Phillips said: "I glimpsed a suspiciously black and yellow looking hoverfly on flowering brambles. I was certain I was looking at Myolepta but it flew off before I could determine which species. Incredibly I found what was definitely another Myolepta, further up the track. I was able to clearly identify this as a single male Myolepta potens. This was such hot news that I took several photographs of it and took it live in a tube to Cheltenham, where David Iliff, the County Hoverfly Recorder lives, so he could check the identification!"

Broad-leaved woodland
Welshbury Wood has a mix of old broad-leaved trees including old small-leaved lime coppice and has produced other interesting hoverfly species over the years. It is an Iron Age Hillfort and is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Ben Lennon, Forestry Commission Planning and Environment Manager, Forest of Dean District added: "This is an exciting find and we are really grateful to people like John who keep an eye on their local ‘patch' to record evidence of such great wildlife. Welshbury Woods is an important site for landscape, history and wildlife reasons and this sort of discovery is valuable in helping us to increase our understanding of how we can best manage the woodlands."