[Pollinator] Do male chloropids eat or drink?

[Peter Bernhardt]

Dear Colleagues:

Does anyone know the name and email of any dipterologists who specialize on the lice-cycles of the Chloropidae? Our consortium is preparing to publish a paper on the pollination of Australian midge orchids (Corunastylis) in the journal, Plant Systematics and Evolution following minor revision. The only pollinators of these orchids belong to two or three genera in the family Chloropidae. The average size of a pollinator is about 2.5 mm (see attached).While we collected over 200 specimens of these flies on 4 orchid species the vast majority were females. The males rarely enter the flowers and we have only one or two specimens of males carrying the orchid's pollinia. Males hang around on adjacent vegetation, presumably waiting for incoming females. These orchids secrete tiny droplets of a nectar-like fluid consumed by the female flies.

The editor has asked us to add a paragraph speculating on the predominance of female chloropid pollinators. These insects are known to suck the hemolymph of injured insects, and in Australia, they are also known as eye flies consuming the tears of mammals. In fact, one of our best sites for collecting flies at these orchids was along roadside verges next to a horse farm. We speculate that the orchids secrete fluids containing nutrients the female chloropids need to produce and develop eggs. Can I speculate that, at this stage in the life-cycle, male chloropids are more intent on mating than drinking and do not need such nutrients. What I would like to know is whether adult male chloropids are known to eat or drink in the first place?

Peter
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