[Syrphidae] Pollen retention and movement of hoverflies

[Erik Nelson]

Dear colleagues,

I have two questions for you.

(1) How long do pollen grains stay in a syrphid's digestive tract? In 
other words, what is a syrphid's gut retention time for pollen? My 
reason for asking is that I want to calculate syrphid movement rates 
from distance and time.If syrphids retain pollen for (say) 8 hours, that 
may be the best value to use for “time”. Please inform me of any 
existing data sets or journal articles.

(2) I want to summarize existing studies that measure movement by hover 
flies. Can you recommend any published studies that should be added to 
the list below?

Thank you,

Erik Nelson
University of California, at Berkeley


============List of studies that measure movement by hover 
flies==============
-----Study -------------------------------------- Species 
---------------------------- Methods ------------
Wratten et al. 1995, Phenology and ecology … M. novaezelandiae Visual 
observations
Wratten et al. 1995, Phenology and ecology … M. fasciatum Visual 
observations
Wratten et al. 2003, Field boundaries… E.balteatus and M. corollae Pan 
traps, gut pollen
Wratten et al. 2003, Field boundaries… M. fasciatum Pan traps, gut pollen
Hickman et al. 2005: Effect of hunger… E.balteatus Pan traps, gut pollen
Bowie, 2001: Ecology and morphology … A. ventralis Pan traps, gut pollen
Lövei et al, 1998: Dispersal and barriers… M. fasciatum Pan traps, gut 
pollen
Schneider, 1948 (cited in Lövei 1998): Beitrag zur … Scaeva pyrastri Pan 
traps, gut pollen
Arrignon et al., 2007: Modelling the overwintering … E.balteatus 
simulation Individual-based simulation model
Freeman Long et al., 1998: Beneficial insects move… Toxomerus sp. and 
others Sticky cards, rubidium labelled flowers
Laubertie, 2007 thesis, p. 61 M. novaezelandiae Pan traps, gut pollen
Laubertie, 2007 thesis, p. 61 M. fasciatum Pan traps, gut pollen
Harwood et al. 1994, Field margins … E.balteatus Pan traps, gut pollen