Species Account for Keroplatus testaceus

Essex Red Data List comment
Recorded from 6 out of 57x10km.sq. records in county

Species text
The status of this fly has been revised from RDB 3 in Shirt (1987). It is a large conspicuous species, which may be as readily recorded in the larval stage as are the adults. It is widespread but extremely local. It was originally thought to be a New Forest speciality and has enjoyed a long history of recording in that district. However, records from other parts of the country have gradually accrued with continual extensions northwards to its known distribution. Occurrence in more than 100 hectads now seems certain, but the species is still included in Falk & Crossley (2005) because of the vulnerability of its larval habitat. The fly occurs in old broad-leaved woodland, with a requirement for large bodies of damp rotten wood, usually with bracket fungi. The larvae live in a large irregular flat mucilaginous web on the underside of logs bearing encrusting fungi or beneath the brackets of polypore fungi. Threatrs include the clearance of old native woodland, the removal of any rotten wood or dead trunks, stumps or logs, especially those in damp areas on which the host fungi may be present. Management should retain all dead wood and old or decayed trees and ensure that the damp shaded conditions, on which development of the fungus hosts depends, are maintained to provide continuity of this habitat. References

Habitats

Recorded management for locations with Keroplatus testaceus

Recorded substrate and hydrology for locations with Keroplatus testaceus

Why not join the Club, register and add a new species page
Interpretation of distribution maps