[Syrphidae] Sex identification based on abdomen coloration

[Malin]

Hi,

During this years field season I have started to consider whether the coloration of the abdomen can help in sex identification, particularity of Eristalis tenax and Eristalis arbustorum. My feeling is that the most brightly coloured individuals appear to be male, whereas the individuals with darker colours could be either male or female. Have anyone noted something similar or do you have another way to quickly determine sex in the field (except for the difference in eye morphology, which even though useful can be a bit tricky in some field situations)?

Best Regards
Malin Thyselius


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