Species Account

Acanthiophilus helianthi  (Rossi, 1794)
Diptera - other groups: Tephritidae

National status: Scarce
Essex RDB: Listed  




Species Habitat Data

Additional Phenology Data


Interpretation of distribution maps
 
Taxonomic group: flies (Diptera - other groups) - County data   

A picture winged fly which is very rare with scattered localities in southern England and recently recorded only from Hants., Kent, London and Pembroke with old records from the Isle of Wight, Skokholm and Dorset, with about 10 post 1960 sites scattered widely over the known range (Falk, 1991a). It has only been reared from the flower head of hardheads, Centaurea nigra, in Britain, but elsewhere in Europe it has been recorded from about 50 species of Cardueae. It has been found in dry grassland, meadows and occasionally gardens. Management should prevent overgrazing, and aim to maintain a rich and varied flora with plenty of composites including knapweed. Rotational grazing in larger sites should be used to produce a mosaic of different vegetation types and any cutting or mowing of vegetation should be prevented until knapweed has produced seeds. References
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