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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Tephritoidea » Skipper Flies (Piophilidae) » Waltzing Flies (Prochyliza) » Prochyliza xanthostoma
Photo#301290
Skipper Fly Interactions - Prochyliza xanthostoma
Copyright © 2009 Stephen Luk

Skipper Fly Interactions - Prochyliza xanthostoma
Horner Park, Richmond Hill (N43º52'20"W079º24'45"), York Region, Ontario, Canada
May 21, 2009
The male Prochyliza in my previous images persistently and tirelessly patrolled a single small twig overhanging a carrion bait that I had set out. Eventually, a female showed up and also took claim to the same twig. Immediately the male advanced on her with a rapid, pendular gait, kind of like a metronome gone wild placed upside-down. I did not expect to see what happened next...

** EDIT: this turns out to be an interspecific battle - see Dr. Buck's comments below.

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Contributed by Stephen Luk on 8 July, 2009 - 10:10pm
Last updated 12 July, 2009 - 3:47pm

Interspecific battle
Great series, Stephen! I thought the same as you at first but these are males of two different species (if not genera). Check out the shiny, rounded apex of the "female" abdomen (it is the hypopygium of a male). Based on the patterning and shape of the fore legs I suspect it could be a Protopiophila species. Check the the Guelph collection and you will probably find a match (our Diptera collection here in Edmonton is tiny so I can't check this myself).
… Matthias Buck, 11 July, 2009 - 9:47am login or register to post comments

 
That is exciting!
Matt, thanks for the correction. I had initially suspected two species, until I changed my mind after finding out about sexual dimorphism in Prochyliza. So the female fly is a male indeed; I can see the shiny hypopygium now (have to pick up on more fly terminology!) I will check the collection in the next few days.
… Stephen Luk, 12 July, 2009 - 3:56pm login or register to post comments

 
Sexing
Piophilids are relatively easy to sex because they are tephritoids, in which the females have a characteristic oviscape (fused and sclerotized tergite+sternite 7). However, the oviscape is not as prominent as in the other tephritoid families.
… Matthias Buck, 12 July, 2009 - 4:54pm login or register to post comments

 
Even more fascinating!!
Thank you Dr. Buck, for the gender clarification, which changes the whole nature of this behavioral discussion. Glad to know that the male-female relations for this species may not be quite as combative as they originally seemed (*smile*).
… Harsi S. Parker, 11 July, 2009 - 11:45am login or register to post comments

Interesting behavioral observations...
Must have been hard to tear yourself away. (I'm sure video footage would be highly entertaining!)
… Harsi S. Parker, 9 July, 2009 - 1:12am login or register to post comments

 
Thank you.
I smiled as I watched them fumble around; it was almost comical. And yes, I immediately wished I had my digital camera with me. My dSLR cannot shoot video, unlike the more recent models.
… Stephen Luk, 9 July, 2009 - 8:13am login or register to post comments

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