Sphegina limbipennis Strobl, 1909

Identification

Identification difficulty = 2.

Biology

The larva has not been described but others in the genus have been found in sappy decay in logs. Adult Sphegina tend to favour wet woodland and will visit flowers, often occurring on the underside of umbellifers.

Flight period

Given as May to October in Europe, but the single British record was in April.

Distribution

So far, this species has been found at a single site at Holyford Woods in south Devon in April 2025¹, although there was a possible second record from a nearby site in April 2024 that cannot be confirmed (a photograph of a specimen with infuscated wing-tips). It appears to be an Atlantic coast species that occurs in the Iberian Peninsula and North-West France and may therefore be found elsewhere in South West England and Wales.