Ptychoptera scutellaris, Meigen, 1818

Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, Hansen, Søren Birkholm, Rinne, Aki, Viitanen, Esko & Krogh, Paul Henning, 2021, Key to Ptychopteridae (Diptera) larvae of Northern Europe, with notes on distribution and biology, Zootaxa 5039 (2), pp. 179-200 : 195-196

Ptychoptera scutellaris

This species has a southern distribution within the regarded geographical area ( Fig. 6D ) and is recorded in all countries except Estonia ( Zwick 2020). Its northern boundary is located at approx. 62° latitude. It does not seem to be abundant in most parts of its distributional area, except in the U.K. Its distributional area extends to middle and south-eastern Europe (Balkan, Romania) and, to the east, into Ukraine ( Zwick 2020). Moreover, it is found in the Nearctic ( Zwick 2020).

According to data from Denmark, the larvae seem to prefer small waterbodies that are dependent on inflowing terrain-near groundwater. The waterbodies may be almost stagnant or characterized by a slow, but distinct current. The sites are typically located alongside streams. Furthermore, larvae may occur in groundwater-fed slow-flowing small streams and sites may be located in woodland as well as in open land. According to Stubbs (1993), the preference of breeding habitats in the U.K. is unclear. However, he too points at a relationship with habitats dependent on groundwater (e.g. calcareous springs and fen carr).

In Denmark and Fennoscandia, the flight period is primarily in May, with fewer records from June-July. Stubbs (1993) reports that flight peaks in May-June in most districts of the U.K., occurring about a month later in northern parts.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Distribution of Ptychoptera species within the geographical area defined as Northern Europe, delineated by grey line. A. Ptychoptera contaminata; B. P. hugoi; C. P. minuta; D. P. scutellaris. Blue dots show specific records, blue raster indicates confirmed but unspecified presence and red raster indicates likely presence.