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Hi,
I am quite sure that these pictures from 1 June 2018 show a male Brachypalpus laphriformis. The hind tibia is not abruptly angled, and the eyes do meet, so B. valgus is improbable. The pictures were taken in a wood, rich in old trees and dead timber, in southwestern Brandenburg. The species would be new for our region.
In our forum archive there are many threads on the two species, but only in one (https://diptera.i...d_id=78560) a very convincing difference was pointed out: the arista of B. laphriformis is dark and the arista of B. valgus is white or light-coloured. I checked this in lots of pictures, and it was constant and helpful, especially with females (https://diptera.i...d_id=66494) or if the male hind tibia was not well visible. So dear experts: why is this easily observable character not mentioned in the keys???
Thanks for any opinions, Sundew