Bradysia difformis, FREY, 1948

Menzel, Frank, Smith, Jane E. & Chandler, Peter J., 2006, The sciarid fauna of the British Isles (Diptera: Sciaridae), including descriptions of six new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 146 (1), pp. 1-147 : 42

BRADYSIA DIFFORMIS FREY, 1948

Synonyms: agrestis Sasakawa, 1978 ; paupera Tuomikoski, 1960 .

Literature: Edwards (1925a): 540 [in part as Sciara praecox , misidentification]; Poinar & Doncaster (1965): 73; Binns (1981): 417; Freeman (1983b): 36 [all as Bradysia paupera ]; Dunne & O’Connor (1989): 64 [as Bradysia aprica , misidentification]; Buxton (1993): 23 [as Bradysia paupera ]; Menzel (1998): 20; White, Smith & Menzel (2000): 208; Menzel, Smith & Colauto (2003): 451.

New to Irish list.

Material examined: Berwick-upon-Tweed , Northumberland, 1 male, vi.1999; 2 males, ix.1999, all Laurence leg. ( PBLN) . Cheshunt , Hertfordshire, 1 male, 19.v.1939, Speyer leg. ( HRI) . Evesham , Worcestershire, 1 male, 1996, J.E. Smith leg. ( HRI) . Glasshouse Crops Research Station, Littlehampton , West Sussex, 1 male, 2 females, 3 larvae, xi.1952 – ii.1953; 2 males, 3 larvae, i.1953; 2 larvae, 19.i.1953; 5 males, 20.vi.1956; 3 males, 10.ix.1956; 4 males, 17.ix.1956; 1 male, 24.ix.1956; 1 male, 1.x.1956; 3 males, 15.x.1956; 1 male, 23.x.1956; 1 male, 5.xi.1956; 1 male, 2 females, x.1963, all Parr leg. ( HRI) ; 1 female, 9.i.1964; 1 male, 23.iv.1965; 1 male, 1 female, 5.vii.1965; 2 males, 22.x.1965; 4 males, 1 female, no date, all Gurney leg. ( HRI) ; 5 males, 3.ix.1966; 4 males, 1 female, no date, all Hussey leg. ( HRI) ; 2 males, 24.ix.1975; 9 males, 2 females, 1975; 5 males, 3 females, 1977; 1 male, 1.ii.1980; 6 males, 3.v.1982; 29 males, 2 females, no date, all Binns leg. ( HRI) . Kinsealy Research Centre, Dublin , 2 males, 2 females, 24.ii.−25.ii.1986; 35 males, 15.ix.−26.x.1986 (reared), all Dunne leg. ( NMID) . Lea Valley , Hertfordshire, 1 male, 1 female, 20.iii.1965; 1 male, 20.viii.1965, all Butters leg. ( HRI) . Leamington Spa , Warwickshire, 3 males, 1998, J.E. Smith leg. ( HRI) . Mid Yell , Shetland, 1 male, ix.1990, Laurence leg. ( PBLN) . Nazeing , Essex, 7 males, no date, Stevens leg. ( HRI) . Sedlescombe , East Sussex, 1 male, xi.2001, Roper leg. ( PPRS) . Stanford , Norfolk, 1 male, 10.iv.− 24.iv.1988, Collier leg. ( PPWM) . Ravensworth , North Yorkshire, 2 males, 5.v.1981, Port leg. ( BMNH) . The Loke, Norwich , Norfolk, 1 male, I.-iii.1990, Laurence leg. ( PBLN) . Wellesbourne , Warwickshire, 1 male, 27.i.1998; 5 males, 27.vii.1998; 1 male, 4.viii.2000; 1 male, xi.2001, all J.E. Smith leg. ( HRI, PPCM) . No locality details, England, 11 males, 10 females, 1986, White leg. ( HRI) .

Ecological notes: common in glasshouses and in house plant compost; also found in gardens; grassland at woodland fringe; found damaging cucumbers in pots [Cheshunt record, Edwards (1925a)]; mushroom farm in old compost. Reared in laboratory culture. i–xii.