Merodon equestris (Fabricius, 1794)
A common Hoverfly over most of the UK, which can often be found in gardens as well as its usual woodland habitat. Merodon equestris can be a horticultural pest, by attacking Daffodil bulbs etc. The abdominal markings and colouration, can vary considerably between individuals and there are numerous named colour forms. The lower two photographs used here, were very kindly supplied to us by Pauline Bradford, who photographed both at Dyscarr Wood in May 2014.
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Nottinghamshire (VC56) distribution of Merodon equestris
 
 
 
 
The records for the Nottinghamshire distribution map are currently provided by the following contributors - Netherfield Wildlife Group. Derek Whiteley. Richard Rogers. Pauline Bradford. Trevor and Dilys Pendleton. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Tim Sexton. Sean Tobin. Nottingham City Council. Brian Wetton. Sherwood Forest Invertebrate Directory 2014. NBGRC. Rob Johnson. Paul and Helen Brock. John and Denise Bingham. Barry Lygo. David Shaw. Brian Wetton.

You can contribute your own records to help us gain an accurate status of this species in Nottinghamshire. Send an Excel spreadsheet of your records via the 'contact us' link at the top of the homepage.

Updated January 2024
copyright © Trevor and Dilys Pendleton (www.eakringbirds.com) . .
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