A NEW species of fly has been recorded in the UK for the first time, after it was discovered on a Perthshire wildlife reserve.
Two female specimens of the fly, known as the Platypalpus aliterolamellatus Kovalev, were found on the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Tummel Shingle Islands reserve near Pitlochry.
The insect is a small predatory fly that feeds on other insects and were swept from the vegetation on one site called Ballinluig Island.
Measuring two millimetres in length, they need to be identified from a high-powered microscope and can be distinguished by the tiny bristles on their heads, and the shape of their legs and feet.
The discovery was made by Stephen Hewitt, a research fellow in Entomology at National Museums Scotland, who is studying the flies that live on river shingle-banks.
Mr Hewitt said: "It wasn’t too surprising to find a new species on Ballinluig Island because it is recognised as one of the best sites of its kind in Britain.
"Shingle banks are a fairly localised habitat that can be damaged by trampling from people and livestock, as well as gravel extraction.
"It’s important to know what is out there so that we can identify the best sites and protect them for the future."
Shingle banks provide an environment where invertebrates and over 400 species of plants thrive, as well as a wide variety of birds such as oystercatchers, common terns and redshanks.
The Platypalpus aliterolamellatus Kovalev was first discovered in 1971 and has been found elsewhere in Europe including Switzerland and Sweden.
The discovery is published in the Dipterists Digest, the journal of the Society for the study of flies.
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