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Hi forum friends,
I am back with a wonderful syrphid I saw today. It took serious interest in a heavy exudate of sap on a trunk of an Ulmus tree, which behaviour, together with some googled pictures, makes me quite sure that I found a Sphiximorpha subsessilis. The species is said to be quite rare, so I would like to get a confirmation and, if possible, some more information. Is my fly a male because of the touching eyes?
Many thanks for any help, Sundew

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This is the state of the tree trunk. The fly is marked by the white circle.

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Your identification should be correct, and it is the male. My homeland is on the northern distributional limit of this species, so it is rare here as well. Below the photo of the female from Lithuania (if somebody have doubts)