Saltella

Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830

Species Guides

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Saltella is a of small flies in the Sepsidae. The genus includes five described , with Saltella sphondylii being the most studied due to its unusual mating . Research on this species has revealed significant costs of copulation to male longevity, making it a model organism for studying sexual conflict and the evolution of mating systems.

Saltella sphondylii by (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.Saltella sphondylii by This image is created by user Dick Belgers at Waarneming.nl, a source of nature observations in the Netherlands. . Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Saltella: /ˈsæltɛla/

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Images

Distribution

Recorded from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Vermont, USA.

Behavior

Saltella sphondylii exhibits highly unusual mating characterized by five unique behavioral elements identified through frame-by-frame video analysis. Copulation involves bouts with multiple insertions of a comparatively membranous phallus into the female.

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Sources and further reading