Platycheirus occultus Goeldlin, Maibach & Speight, 1990

Biology & ecology:

Larva unknown. This is one of the species split from P. clypeatus by Speight & Goeldlin (1990) and Goeldlin et al. (1990). It is found in peaty wetlands including acid bog and moorland in the north and west; calcareous fen in eastern England; and wet heathland in southern-central England. Adults fly low down amongst lush vegetation and are usually found by sweeping, but also visit flowers.

Distribution:

This is a very widely distributed species with no obvious distribution features.

Status & conservation:

The frequency of occurrence plot is for 'Platycheirus clypeatus sensu lat.', i.e. including P. occultus, P. europaeus and P. ramsarensis. The trend for this complex shows a small but significant decline, although the number of records of this species has increased rapidly since it was recognised in 1991.