Rare Russian f ly found on reserve
A PREDATORY Russian fly has been discovered in the UK for the first time after being captured on a Scottish wildlife reserve.
Platypalpus aliterolamellatus Kovalev feeds on other insects.
It was found on Ballinluig Island, part of the Tummel Shingle Island reserve near Pitlochry, Perthshire, which is cared for by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT).
Stephen Hewitt, Pelham-Clinton research fellow in entomology at National Museums Scotland, who is studying the flies that live on river shingle banks, found two females after they had been swept from vegetation.
He said yesterday: ‘The flies are around 2mm long and need to be identified under a high-powered microscope.
‘They can be distinguished from other flies by looking at the tiny bristles on their heads and the shape of their legs and feet.
‘It wasn’t too surprising to find a new species on Ballinluig Island because it is recognised as one of the best sites of its kind in Britain.
‘Shingle banks are a fairly localised habitat that can be damaged by trampling from people and livestock, as well as gravel extraction.
‘It’s important to know what is out there so that we can identify the best sites and protect them.’
SWT’s reserves manager Rab Potter said: ‘The shingle islands on the River Tummel are an everchanging environment and one of the rarest habitats in the UK.
‘Our reserve supports a huge range of invertebrates and more than 400 different plants, which in turn attract a wide variety of birds.’
Platypalpus aliterolamellatus Kovalev was discovered in Russia in 1971 and has been identified elsewhere in Europe, including Switzerland and Sweden.
The report of the latest sighting has been published in the Dipterists Digest, the journal of the society for the study of flies.