First record of Parasyrphus malinellus (Collin, 1952) (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Romania at low altitude in the Danube Gorge

Abstract

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) represent an ecologically important group of pollinating insects. Of these, Parasyrphus malinellus (Collin, 1952) is a Palaearctic species, mainly distributed in northern Europe. In southern Europe, particularly on the Balkan Peninsula, its distribution is scattered and has been recorded only recently at high altitudes. Although Romania lies north of the Balkans, P. malinellus has not previously been recorded in the country. In April 2025, we recorded a female in the Mraconia Valley Basin (Danube Gorge, southwestern Romania). This is the first record of P. malinellus for the Romanian Carpathians and the country. This record partially fills the distribution gap between the species’ known distribution in northern and western Europe and its southern Balkan occurrences (Serbia and Greece). Unlike other records from the Balkan Peninsula, where P. malinellus is present at high elevations, we recorded it at an unexpectedly low altitude, at only approximately 400 m a.s.l. Moreover, although P. malinellus is typically associated with coniferous forests, it was found in a humid valley surrounded by steep slopes dominated by beech and oak forests, in a region where conifers are not naturally present. Thus, P. malinellus is another mountain species, probably relict, present in the Danube Gorge close to its southern distribution limit, at a low altitude and in atypical habitats. This finding further supports the role of the Danube Gorge as a refugium, increasing its conservation value. At the same time, it highlights the limited knowledge of hoverfly diversity in the Carpathian Mountains, even within well-studied protected areas.

Article history: Received 3 February 2026; Revised 26 March 2026;
Accepted 4 April 2027; Available online 25 June 2026.