This is an endangered species (IUCN 2021) and our specimen is the first report for the Italian fauna (Fig. 1). A single female was collected by one of the authors (UM) in La Mandria Natural Park (Fig. 2) on a sap-run on a large Quercus tree at 5:30 p.m. The observation is in accordance with Speight 2020 who reported late afternoon activity for this rare species.

Figure 1.  

Distribution map of Brachyopa grunewaldensis white <1950, white with black point ≥1950 <2000, black ≥2000, ? = uncertain record. Map modified from Steenis et al. (2020) with a red dot for new data.

Figure 2.  

Distribution map of Brachyopa grunewaldensis in Piedmont region.

This species is vulnerable according to the IUCN European Red List of Hoverflies (Vujić et al. 2022). It was recorded in the 19^th century (Sommaggio 2007) on a coniferous plantation at low altitude in Stupinigi Park (Fig. 3), but a recent attempt made by the authors failed to find it in the same place. A specimen was collected by Malaise trap in a subalpine pastured grassland in Valasco Valley (CN) during the second year of a survey concerning the effect of grazing on hoverfly assemblages. Other observations that took place regularly in the same year at higher altitudes (2040 m a.s.l.) on a senescent coniferous plant have led to the observation of a single Brachypalpus valgus specimen.

Figure 3.  

Distribution map of Brachypalpus chrysites in Piedmont region.

This species is reported as vulnerable (IUCN 2021) and all the data known for the Piedmont region were unpublished (Fig. 4). Two observations come from the iNaturalist platform (checked and confirmed by the authors) and four from authors' (UM, LB) observations. All the specimens collected by the authors were observed during the hottest hours of the day, all on different flowers: the specimen from Sessera Valley was observed on violet Knautia sp. or Scabiosa sp., the specimen in Oncino was observed on Hypericum sp., the specimen in Frabosa Sottana was on white Dipsacus sp. and the one in Nucetto was near Fragaria vesca. While for iNaturalist observation the specimen from Ormea was on Scabiosa sp. while the specimen from Armeno was on Carduus sp. or Cirsium sp.

Figure 4.  

Distribution map of Callicera aurata in Piedmont region.

This is an endangered species (Vujić et al. 2022) collected only recently for the Piedmont region (Maritano 2021). The female specimen was observed foraging on Crataegus flower on 29 April 2020 during the hottest hours of the day (See white dot in Fig. 5). At La Mandria Natural Park (Venaria Reale, TO) a specimen was observed basking on the bark of a large Quercus tree 3 metres above the ground during the afternoon around 4:30 pm, but we failed to collect it. Although not captured, we can say with certainty that it was a Callicera fagesii specimen as it is the only Callicera species present at that time of year in such Habitat type. This is confirmed by the last observation that occurred 10 days later in San Gillio Lake Natural Reserve with a specimen found near a blooming Crataegus at 12:30 am.

Figure 5.  

Distribution map of Callicera fagesii in Piedmont region.

Callicera spinolae is a vulnerable species (Vujić et al. 2022) and it is reported here as a new species for the Piedmont region fauna with an old unpublished specimen found with the label “Moncalieri IX 1938 Dr. F. Festa”, dry and pinned in the University of Turin DISAFA collection in Grugliasco (TO), and an observed specimen in Susa Valley (Fig. 6). In Susa Valley the specimen was observed at 5:00 pm on a large ivy bloom (the same reported below in Doros destillatorius) but we missed collecting it and despite other attempts to find it on subsequent days it never came back to the same plant. Although not captured, we can say with certainty that it was a Callicera spinolae specimen as it is the only Callicera species present in this type of habitat.

Figure 6.  

Distribution map of Callicera spinolae in Piedmont region.

The species is known with certainty for Italy only in Lazio region in a single locality where it is very abundant (Prestininzi 2009) and in Piedmont historical data during the 19^th century with the label "Turin" (Sommaggio 2007).

Six specimens of this species were collected in the Piedmont region in the 19^th century (Sommaggio 2007), but recent research in lowland forests failed to collect it until one of the authors (ST) took a couple of photos (Fig. 7) of a pair of specimens mating on the bark of a poplar in Crava Morozzo Natural Reserve (Fig. 8).

Figure 7.  

Criorhina pachymera on Populus. A male; B female on the left, male on the right.

Figure 8.  

Distribution map of Criorhina pachymera in Piedmont region.

Doros destillatorius Fig. 9 is a rarely seen hoverfly, endangered according to the European Red List (Vujić et al. 2022), and mainly found in the Mediterranean region. It has low density populations with only 1-2 specimens collected in each known locality.

Figure 9.  

Doros destillatorius A, C, E female; B, D, F male

In Italy, it is known from the holotype found in Friuli-Venezia Giulia near the city of Gorizia (Speight 1987), and from the other few observations made in other regions such as: Lazio (Prestininzi 2009), Veneto (Sommaggio 2017), Valle d’Aosta, Abruzzo, Sardinia and Tuscany (Birtele 2011).

From the Piedmont region, the only specimen known before this paper is from the Regional Museum of Natural Science of Turin and was collected in the year 1980 near Bussoleno (Turin Province) hamlet Pietrabianca. Fig. 10 shows all the new records of Doros destillatorius collected by the author (UM) in the Piedmont region. We report here also a new record for Tuscany.

Figure 10.  

Distribution map of Doros destillatorius in Piedmont region.

Although the surveys were conducted consistently throughout the entire season (from March to October every 10 days) in each of the reported sites, all the specimens were observed in September with females observed at the beginning of the month and males in the subsequent days. The first specimen observed (in 2019) was a female which during the hottest hours of the day moved up and down exploring mosses on the bark of a young oak tree plantation. The second specimen observed was another female (year 2021) which during the hottest hours of the day moved up and down exploring a sap-run on a large oak tree (Fig. 11). In the year 2022 a couple of males were collected by Malaise trap near a stream into a beech forest. In the year 2023, a male was seen with the aid of binoculars foraging on the top of a large ivy bloom (Fig. 11) surrounded by a landscape of few scattered Quercus pubescens and Bromus erectus. It first visited the flowers at the top of the ivy (4-5 metres above the ground) and then gradually went down to visit flowers halfway up the plant. This is the first observation of Doros destillatorius on Hedera helix as the only data available from literature reports it on Rubus fruticosus (Speight 2020).

Figure 11.  

Habitats visited by Doros destillatorius . A Sap-run in Niella Tanaro (CN); B Hedera helix in Bussoleno (TO).

This species is widely distributed throughout the Scandinavian peninsula (Fig. 12), but it is present only in a few localities with relict populations in the Alps (Steenis et al. 2020). The only historical record for Italy dates back over a century ago near Turin (Sommaggio 2007). One of the authors (UM) found a male in June and a female and a male in July in Troncea Valley (Fig. 13). The specimens were observed in open unimproved subalpine grassland on Rosa canina and Apiaceae flowers (Fig. 14) foraging at a distance of 700-800 m away from a Populus tremula stand that includes approximately 50 poplar trees in a homogeneous surface area of only 0.13 ha.

Figure 12.  

Distribution map of Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (white <1950, white with black point ≥1950 <2000, black ≥2000, ? = uncertain record, + datum unknown). Map modified from van Steenis (2023) with a red dot for new data.

Figure 13.  

Distribution of Hammerschmidtia ferruginea in the Piedmont region.

Figure 14.  

Hammerschmidtia ferruginea on Apiaceae flowers, 17 July 2021; A, B female; C male.