''Botanophila fonsecai'', also known as Fonseca's seed fly, is a small fly

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

only to an approximately 100 m stretch of

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

al dune system of north-eastern

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The fly is named after British

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Evelyn d’Assis-Fonseca. It is classified as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

by the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

due to its small habitat range and constant threats to these limited environments. The fly is probably the rarest endemic insect species in the UK. The species was initially described in 1965 during a survey of

Dornoch Firth The Dornoch Firth ( gd, Caolas Dhòrnaich, ) is a firth on the east coast of Highland, in northern Scotland. It forms part of the boundary between Ross and Cromarty, to the south, and Sutherland, to the north. The firth is designated as a nationa ...

, with the type specimen caught by d'Assis-Fonseca in 1971. However it was first described as a novel species in 1989 by Michael Ackland. The type specimen is housed at the

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

. This fly is

to the county of Sutherland in northeastern Scotland. Its range extends for a length of about along the coast of the Dornoch Firth, and it has a total area of occupancy of about at four known locations. Its habitat is the dune system where

lyme grass ''Leymus arenarius'' is a psammophilic (sand-loving) species of grass in the family Poaceae, native to the coasts of Atlantic and Northern Europe. ''Leymus arenarius'' is commonly known as sand ryegrass, sea lyme grass, or simply lyme grass.

(''Leymus arenarius''), cord grass (''Spartina anglica'') and marram grass (''Ammophila arenaria''), ragwort (''Jacobaea vulgaris'') and

sow thistle Sow thistle most often refers to yellow flowered, thistle-like plants in the genus ''Sonchus ''Sonchus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae and are commonly known as sow thistles (less commonly ...

(''Sonchus'' spp) grow, along with limited amounts of cat's-ear (''Hypochaeris radicata'') and hawkweed (''Hieracium'' spp). On the more consolidated back part of the dunes there is a richer flora which includes devil’s bit scabious (''Succisa pratensis'') as well as ragwort. A 2013 survey commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage found some specimens of the fly, and a potential association of the larvae with ragwort or sow thistle. The survey suggested that populations have declined since similar surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1980s. Threats to the fly include trampling of habitat from people on the dunes, as well as a potential

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

Coul Links Coul Links is an area of sand dunes (referred to as "links" in the Scots language) in Sutherland, on the east coast of Scotland. It is located between Golspie and Dornoch, lying just to the north of the small village of Embo. The links are c ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14221305 Anthomyiidae Endemic fauna of Scotland Muscomorph flies of Europe Insects described in 1989