I am often asked how we tell male and female hoverflies apart. It’s all in the eyes, as the above picture shows, there are very obvious differences between the eyes of male (♂) and female (♀) Eristalis tenax. The eyes of the male meet in the middle while the eyes of the female are clearly separated. This sexual dimorphism is not just limited to the obvious outward appearance, the fronto-dorsal region of the male eye contains a ‘bright zone’ with large facets and increased light capture. This male specific region of the eye is thought to be important for detecting and chasing females. Indeed, this bright zone seems to contribute to the enhanced contrast sensitivity and speed motion detector responses of neurons in the male hoverfly brain compared to the female (Straw et al, J Exp Biol, 2006). What is yet to be studied is how these changes affect the responses of neurons further downstream and ultimately control behavioral responses. Lily Mikajlo, who has recently joined our lab as part of her third-year Medical Science placement topic, is hoping to provide further insight. She will be comparing the response properties of optic flow sensitive descending neurons in both male and female hoverflies.
by Sarah
I am often asked how we tell male and female hoverflies apart. It’s all in the eyes, as the above picture shows, there are very obvious differences between the eyes of male (♂) and female (♀) Eristalis tenax. The eyes of the male meet in the middle while the eyes of the female are clearly separated. This sexual dimorphism is not just limited to the obvious outward appearance, the fronto-dorsal region of the male eye contains a ‘bright zone’ with large facets and increased light capture. This male specific region of the eye is thought to be important for detecting and chasing females. Indeed, this bright zone seems to contribute to the enhanced contrast sensitivity and speed motion detector responses of neurons in the male hoverfly brain compared to the female (Straw et al, J Exp Biol, 2006). What is yet to be studied is how these changes affect the responses of neurons further downstream and ultimately control behavioral responses. Lily Mikajlo, who has recently joined our lab as part of her third-year Medical Science placement topic, is hoping to provide further insight. She will be comparing the response properties of optic flow sensitive descending neurons in both male and female hoverflies.
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Hoverfly Vision
The hoverfly vision group can be found at 2 locations: At Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, and at Uppsala University in Sweden. Archives
January 2022
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