---

I have a male Leptempis from Croatia. Femora and coxae are completely yellow, yet, looking at the genitals, it is certainly not L. maculata. Does somebody has a key to the South European species of the Leptempis maculata group?

---

That group has not been done yet, sorry.

---

Of course, I googled a bit and indeed found no separate article about this group. I will be very glad with just a list of species, which belong to this group. Hopefully, by collecting the description of the missing species, I will be able to tell which species I have in the collection.

---

I checked in the Cat. of Pal.Diptera. There is quite a number of species of Leptempis in Southern Europe.
Paul, are you aware that somebody is working on this species, or is it better for me to start just collecting the description of the species of Leptempis?

---

Nothing coordinated has been published about the maculata group in thye last decades. A few papers have been published about the remainder of Leptempis. This is what I have concocted:

Provisional key to the species of the Empis (Leptempis) maculata group based on the key in Die Fliegen der Paläarktische Region and the later description of afipsiensis (Shamshev & Kustov, 2007).

1. Coxae dusted grey. Six scutellar setae (B, NL, D, CS, A, USSR: CET)...variegata Meigen, 1804
- Coxae yellow. Four-six scutellar setae...2

2. Cross veins, tips of longitudinal veins and wing tip itself darkened. Third antennal segment black. Aedeadus slender with basal swelling...3
- Wing markings only along the apical margin of the wing. Third antennal segment yellowish at base. Aedeagus without basal swelling...8

3. Abdominal venter black...4
- Abdominal venter yellowish...5

4. Third antennal segment yellowish at base. Eight mm or less (I, BG, GR)...adusta Loew, 1869
- Third antennal segment entirely dark. Almost 9 mm or more (Caucasus)...afipsiensis Shamshev & Kustov, 2007
Note: The size criterion did not seem to apply to an adusta specimen from Greece.

5. Wing base rusty yellow (CE, Mediterranean)...confusa Loew, 1865
- Wing base brownish or greyish...6

6. Cross veins indistinctly darkened (BG)...rava Loew, 1862
- Cross veins with distinct markings...7

7. Proboscis dark brown (YU)...gaigeri Gercke, 1886
- Proboscis yellow...8

8. All coxae with black dot (D, CS, A, H, F, I, YU)...maculata Fabricius, 1781
Coxae all yellow (Sicily, TR)...affinis Egger, 1860

9. Wing tip darkened. (USSR: TC [Ge])...apicalis Loew, 1865
- Resembling previous species but distinguished by shape of the male genitalia and by almost complete lack of darkening at the wing tip. (GR)...macra Loew, 1867

---

Paul, fantastic. Great. I will check it this evening.

---

When using the key I arrive at Empis adusta. Yet, I should say that the third antennal segment is rather dark brown than black and at base only slighter lighter coloured. And, I would like to add, cross veins and tips of longitudinal weins darkened, but not really the wing tip as a whole. The stigma is very present, big and brown.