Insight Into the Diversity of Flower-Visiting Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Shrubland Maquis Around Ajaccio (South-West Corsica, France)

Abstract

With around 6000 species and 200 genera worldwide, hoverflies (Syrphidae, Diptera) are important and a diverse group of pollinators, second to wild bees (Hymenoptera). Here, we studied the diversity of Syrphidae visiting flowers in low shrubland maquis environments of three compensation areas in the Ajaccio region (Corsica, France). A total of 138 hoverflies visiting flowers were sampled representing 27 species from 16 genera. The subfamily Syrphinae was the most diverse in comparison to Milesinae or Eristalinae. The syrphid communities were dominated at 67% by seven species (Eumerus barbarus, Sphaerophoria scripta, Chrysotoxum intermedium, Episyrphus balteatus, Syritta pipiens, Melanostoma mellinum and Melanostoma scalare). Most of data reported here are new for the Ajaccio region. Loretto stands out from the other two sites with both a greater species diversity and specimen abundance of hoverflies recorded visiting flowers. With regard to the daily activity, flower visits by syprhids occurred mainly during the morning at the three studied sites, and flowers of Asteraceae were the most visited. Finally, hoverflies showed a marked seasonality since most records of flower visits occurred in autumn (from September to November) when other floral visitors are rarer or absent.