[Syrphidae] Microdon mutabilis

[Frank Van de Meutter]

Dear all

a specific question to European entomologists.

As in many mainland European countries, in Belgium we currently do have both Microdon myrmicae

in boggy areas (pupae and larvae have been found), and a much larger sibling species living on hot dry calcereous grasslands that would categorize as

 "probable" M. mutabilis.

However, M. mutabilis has been described in the UK living with the ant Formica lemanii that does not occur at these sites.

A sibling ant species Formica fusca does occur on the chalk grasslands and we suspect it to be the host of the large "M mutabilis" that fly here, but we have been unable to find Microdon larvae in these nests, as yet.

Can anyone comment on how they deal with this in their own country, and if anyone has found the M mutabilis larvae/puparia yet in mainland europe together with F fusca?


best regards


Frank

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