Syrphids (Insecta: Diptera: Syrphidae) exhibit different dietary regimes, functioning as both pollinators and predators. Syrphid larvae are common predators of aphids. Attracted to floral resources for pollen and nectar, adult syrphids are particularly responsive to the presence of flower strips (Skevington et al. 2019). Here we record voucher specimens of predatory syrphid species collected from sweet alyssum flower strips (Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv.; Brassicaceae) grown in three different lettuce farms in Quebec. These specimens were collected by sweep net at three different commercial lettuce farms with organic soils (Histosols) in southern Quebec in summer 2022. The DNA-barcodes are available via the BOLD website under the public project name 'Syrphids in Histosols of Quebec' (BOLD 2025).
The data published here include a total of 700 voucher specimens deposited in the Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection at the Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada (QMOR). Among these specimens, eight syrphid species were identified along with several female specimens identified only to the genus level. At 473 specimens (68%), the most abundant species by far was Toxomerus marginatus (Say), an aphid predator. Species names and authorities were verified with reference to Evenhuis and Pape (2024). The specimen data are available at:
https://data.canadensys.net/micropublications/resource?r=collection_7.
We thank the farmers who permitted this study on their private properties. A special thanks to Danielle Thibodeau (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), Johanie Gilbert (Concordia University, Montreal), Alissandre Lavoie and Simon Bourgeois (Université de Sherbrooke), and Ella Hamby and Sébastien Cristescu (John Abbott College, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue) for their significant contributions to insect sampling and conducting this research. This work was funded by the Réseau Québécois de recherche en agriculture durable (RQRAD), the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) through the Programme de recherche en partenariat—Agriculture durable, grant number 322638; and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), [funding reference number RGPIN-2024-05502].
BOLD. (2025). Syrphids in Histosols of Quebec. Barcode of Life Data Systems [online]. https://doi.org/10.5883/DS-SYRPHIDS. [accessed 16 January 2025].
Evenhuis, N.L. & Pape, T. (editors). (2024). Systema Dipterorum, Version 5.6, 2024-12-09. http://diptera.org/, accessed on 2025-01-17.
Skevington, J., Locke, M., Young, A., Moran, K., Crins, W. & Marshall, S. (2019). Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America. Princeton: Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691192512
