Rarer than the giant panda... now pine hoverfly gets new home to preserve it
Breeding centre aims to save the critically endangered insect from extinction, George Mair reports
IT is as rare as the Scottish wildcat and even less common than the giant panda.
But now efforts to protect a critically endangered insect from extinction have been boosted thanks to a brandnew breeding centre in the Highlands that has been described as a “game changer” for the species.
The pine hoverfly (Blera fallax) is one of the UK’S rarest native insects. Known to be present in the wild at only one forest site in the Cairngorms National Park, the insect has not been seen in its native habitat in adult form for more than eight years.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has led efforts to save the species since 2016, with a critical conservation breeding programme based at its Highland Wildlife Park (HWP) near Kingussie.
The success of the programme, in which insects have been grown from larvae in jam jars, and encouraged to breed as adults in special flight cages, means the RZSS is now responsible for the majority of Britain’s known population.
Staff at the wildlife conservation charity say the new breeding facility is a significant step forward for the survival of the species, following a record-breaking breeding season in 2020, in which 156 larvae hatched at the HWP.
Among the pupae – the stage between larva and adult – are individuals named “Larva Croft” and “Pine-al Ritchie” by competition entrants.
The new purpose-built house will provide vital space for zookeepers to care for more hoverflies than ever before.
Dr Helen Taylor, RZSS conservation programme manager, said: “Having this new facility is a total gamechanger for our critical conservation breeding programme. We are so grateful to our funders for supporting this development at such a challenging time.
“Tiny species like the pine hoverfly are easily overlooked, but invertebrates are crucial to healthy ecosystems and are disappearing at an alarming rate.
“Animals like pine hoverflies play key roles in ecosystems, from pollination to decomposition, as well as providing an important food source to many other species.
“The more invertebrate species we lose, the less well our ecosystems will be able to support the animals that depend on them, including humans.
“We completed the facility just in time to move our pine hoverfly pupae into their new space before they started emerging as adult hoverflies.”
Pine hoverflies became critically endangered in Britain due to land use change resulting in the loss of the ancient pine forests they called home.
The insects are reliant on mature old growth pine forest, but much of Scotland’s pines are cut down and harvested for timber before they can become mature.
The new facility includes a larval rearing room, an adult flight room with large enclosures for the adult hoverflies to fly and mate in.
It also includes an area for staff to prepare the abundance of flowers the adult hoverflies need for food.
It is hoped that, like the Scottish wildcat, which is also being bred at the HWP, captive pine hoverflies could be released into the wild in future to boost the species’ population.
The hoverfly house has been made possible by several funders, including a donation of £20,000 from entertainment company Marvelous Europe Inc.
It is part of the campaign for its latest game release Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, alongside support from The National Geographic Society, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Forestry and Land Scotland, and Naturescot.
Story of Seasons fans also competed in a seed-growing race to name the larvae room, with the successful entrant selecting the name “It Must Have Been Larva, But It’s Hover Now”.
This room will become a temporary home to individual pupae including “Larva Croft” and “Pine-al Ritchie”, who were also named by the seedgrowing competition entrants.
The pine hoverfly conservation breeding programme is led by RZSS in collaboration with the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project, a partnership between the RSPB, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Butterfly Conservation Scotland, Buglife Scotland and Naturescot.
Animals like pine hoverflies play key roles in ecosystems