Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
Details...
 
Photos from the last gathering (Minnesota 2007)

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Aschiza » Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae) » Syrphinae » Syrphini
Photo#9481
Is this a male Hover Fly? - male
Copyright © 2004 Kildale

Is this a male Hover Fly? - Male
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
August 27, 2004
Posted a couple of these earlier and was told that those two were females. Would this be a male as the eyes are together. I'm new to insects etc. But I'm really into them now. Can't wait for the spring when things start happening again.
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Kildale on 4 January, 2005 - 4:59pm
Last updated 10 March, 2005 - 7:46pm

Male
Yes, this is a male. Generally, but not always in Syrphidae, the eyes of the males touch on the top of the head , whereas the eyes of the females are always separated. However, There are a number of genera where males eyes are separated for some distance. As a rule of thumb (again, not always), the eyes of the males are then closer together than those of the females.

By the way, when you compare many families of the Diptera, if there is a difference between males and females when it comes to distance between the eyes, then generally eyes in the males are closer together than in the females. Of course, there are clear exceptions, like stalk-eyed flies (Diopsidae).

Paul

http://www.diptera.info
… Paul Beuk, 5 January, 2005 - 2:22am login or register to post comments

 
ID thanks
Thanks Paul the info is very much appreciated. As I mentioned I'm just getting into insects etc.
… Kildale, 5 January, 2005 - 11:10am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2008 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact