In this instalment, we talk with Ana Grkovic, a Senior Researcher with the Department of Biology and Ecology within the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia. She is part of a team led by world-renowned syrphid taxonomists Ante Vujić and Snežana Radenković. The team focuses on the integrative taxonomic and ecological study of hoverflies and is specifically interested in the diversity of hoverflies in Southeastern Europe, but also in other parts of Europe, Turkey, and Africa.

Ana explains she began her career more than two decades ago, collaborating with one of the best syrphidologists, Professor Ante Vujić, on a variety of topics from mosquito monitoring to nature conservation. During this time, Professor Vujic introduced her to the taxonomy of her favorite genus of hoverfly, Eumerus, “I became interested in this mostly tiny and inconspicuous genus with many unresolved taxonomic challenges [and] this collaboration resulted in more than ten newly described species and many publications.”

She believes the study of hoverflies is important because they are a “vital element of sustainable ecosystems, [playing] many important roles such as pollination and nutrient cycling in the larval stage.” Presently, there is cause for concern, as “a large proportion of Eumerus hoverfly species in Europe are threatened due to the systematic destruction of their habitat.” One such endangered species happens to be Ana’s favourite, Eumerus ovatus, a species with a “plushy shiny abdomen, found in the remaining deciduous forest fragments of Europe”.

Beyond research, Ana believes that awareness of the species could lead to better preservation and she is hopeful that the European Red List of Hoverflies “will draw the public's attention to this large and important group of insects. It would be great if people could recognize the most common species of hoverflies, as they can see the difference between a bumblebee and a bee and be aware of their existence, which is often not the case with hoverflies”. In addition, she suggests “awareness should also be raised on the importance of the presence of hedgerows and other green and flower-rich spots in urban areas and on the reduction of pesticide usage, which is often out of control. This would surely benefit at least some of the species.”

Looking to the future, Ana is “happy to see that taxonomy in particular has a significant role to play in conservation projects as a basis for further research.” We can expect there may be new species described by Ana and the team in Novi Sad. For the time being, she is pleased “to see hoverflies wandering from flower to flower in my garden on the slope of Fruška gora, side by side with bees, and I believe that if everyone did a little more to support these little creatures, it would be a great thing.”