Sexing Pupae2

Further to Matthews recent post, I just thought I'd follow this up in a little more detail. Below are 2 close up images of A.ilia pupae, although I highly doubt that A.iris pupae are any different.

Although size can be good general reference for sexing pupae, for those with access to the appropriate equipment, I detail below some more accurate pupae sexing information:

Males have a circular portion just beneath the anal claspers. This is separated into 2 equal halves via a vertical line, similar to "⦶".

Females on the other hand lack this circular portion and instead have a "+", the bottom portion of this cross transects the fourth pupal segment, which is directly below the anal claspers.

I hope some of you find this useful? Many thanks are offered to Ian Bedford, head of the Entomology Department at JIC for allowing me access to the stereo microscopes.

Regards,


Mark