''Phaonia jaroschewskii'', the hairy canary fly, is a yellow

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an muscid fly. This species is found on

sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

moss on healthy wet bog

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e feed on these sphagnum bog mosses. It is of interest as an indicator of the health of these bogs, as it will disappear if the bog deteriorates. For this reason the hairy canary fly is one of the species listed in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Biodiversity Action Plan.

References

* Notable invertebrates associated with lowland heathlan

* (2001): A Supplement to the Diptera Fauna of Lithuani

External links

UK Biodiversity Website
Diptera of Europe Muscidae Insects described in 1888 Taxa named by Johann Andreas Schnabl {{Muscidae-stub