The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
Widespread to Yorkshire, but not easily distinguished from the common and familiar E. luniger (Meigen) and may thus have been overlooked. About 20 post-1960 sites known in Britain.
Regional Distribution
In Cornwall only found on The Lizard at two places in 1981.
Habitat & Ecology
Associated with conifers and heathland. Adults fly May to September, probably doublebrooded; the larvae are associated with aphids.
Threats
The loss of heathland and open stands of conifers to intensive forestry and agriculture.
Conservation
Both Cornish sites are on the Lizard National Nature Reserve.
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.