Xylota (Brachypalpoides) lenta Meigen, 1822.
Meigen, J.W. (1822) Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europaischen zweiflugeligen Insekten. Dritter Theil. Schulz-Wundermann, Hamm. x + 416 pp., pls. 22-32.
Xylota lenta is superficially very similar in appearance to Chalcosyrphus (Xylotomima) piger (Fabricius) (Speight 2010).
Flowers visited by adults: umbellifers; Crataegus, Galium, Rubus idaeus, Sorbus aucuparia (Speight 2010).
The flight period for X. lenta is from April to June plus July at higher altitudes (Speight 2010).
X. lenta ranges from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees and central Spain; Ireland through central Europe into European parts of Russia; southern Europe eastwards to the former Yugoslavia and Greece and on into Asia Minor (Speight 2010).
Adults can be found running on foliage of bushes, Rubus fruticosus etc. at the edge of forest clearings; also on the ground near fallen and felled trees (Speight 2010).
Preferred environment: forest with overmature trees; especially Fagus, Picea and Quercus andincluding evergreen oak forest (Speight 2010).
Larva of X. lenta is undescribed, but the species has been bred from damp, fungus-riddled rotten wood within the trunk base of an old, living Fagus and is included in the keys provided by Rotheray (1993), where it is distinguished from larvae of related genera and its fore body is figured. X.lenta larvae have also been found beneath the bark of Picea, by Kassebeer (1993) (from Speight 2010).
unless otherwise stated