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I still have a problem to distinguish these species. This one definitelly doesn't have yellow hairs on the abdomen, but I have seen L. ephippium the abodmen of which looked much darker. Are there some other important characteristics?

Slovakia, Great Fatra mts., 600 m.a.s.l., forested valey

Thank you in advance

Matej

PS: I have quite many pictures of this specimen, I can send some slightly different views, however, I didnţ manage to photograph terminalia too well.

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This is Laphria flava (or at least one of its relatives) to me. Laphria epphippium never has bands of pale hair on the abdomen.

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Thank you very much

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In this case i have my doubts.... i think it may depend on lightfall and individual variability..... i think the hair is too short and sparse for flava... :-) in Spain it seems to look like this sometimes: http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Laphria-ephippium-(Fabricius-1781)-img770007.search.html

But males of ephippium do have brown hair along the hind margins of the tergites. A male flava would have much more yellowish white hair on the head and in mystax.For the rest this creature looks much too dark for flava. So, in my opinion this is a male ephippium with some lighter coloured hair on the abdomen.

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And I was convinced this was a darkish Laphria flava... Shame on me! :S :S

But the link speak volumes. You have convinced me ;) But it is shameful that I saw it clearly in the link but not in this case :(

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Thank both of you again. It is somehow satisfactory to see that it is not so easy even for much more experienced people :)