Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Empis sp
Posted by
Vince on 21-09-2006 15:13
#1
Hi all,
My first post on this great forum I've been roaming for a while now... first of all I apologize for my bad english and the fact this first post has nothing special : I'd just like to know if this fly is Empis tessellata, and if there's a way to know if its a male or a female.
It was about 15mm long. I also read Empis were just like robber-flies concerning feeding but I always see them feeding on flowers !
Thx for answering
#2
Hi Vince.
I think you are right, it is female Empis tessellata.
Nikita
Posted by
Vince on 21-09-2006 15:41
#3
Thx,
How do u see its a female ?
#4
1. Abdomen fatty and rather conical, than with male genitalia.
2. Given size is very large even for E. tessellata, but females are bigger that males.
Nikita
P.S. And I'm not expert, wait for Paul's confirmation
Posted by
Kahis on 21-09-2006 15:53
#5
Is this cas the fat, tapering abdomen is the key character. Males are a cylindrical abdomen. The feeding habit of
Empis are varied, but many species do normally feed in flowers and hunt when they need a 'prey gift' to be used in the mating dance. Some species have more or less replaced the gift with a purely symbolic small ball of silk.
#6
Confirmed. What were date and locality?
Posted by
Vince on 21-09-2006 18:39
#7
It was on the 08-05-2006, just near Paris (north).
Thx for information !