Sphaerophoria beattiei explained

Sphaerophoria beattiei is a species of hoverfly belonging to the genus Sphaerophoria. It is endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic.^[1] It was originally considered the only member of the genus Loveridgeana but was found to be nested within Sphaerophoria in a DNA based phylogenetic analysis, along with three other species found in South Africa.^[2] Almost nothing is known of its biology other than it pollinated now extinct flora on Saint Helena including the Saint Helena olive.

Notes and References

1. Doesburg . P.H. van (Sr.) . Doesburg . P.H. van (Jr.) . La Faune terrestre de l'Ile de Sainte-Hélène, Volume 13, Fam. Syrphidae . Annales Mus r Afr cent (Ser 8 Sci zool) . 1977 . 215 . 63–74.
2. Mengual. Ximo. Ståhls. Gunilla. Skevington. Jeffrey H.. 2021-01-02. Life on an island: the phylogenetic placement of Loveridgeana and Afrotropical Sphaerophoria (Diptera: Syrphidae) inferred from molecular characters. Systematics and Biodiversity. 19. 1. 22–53. 10.1080/14772000.2020.1795743. 10138/333906 . 225321683 . 1477-2000. free.