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Hi,
Recently I saw this Bibio female in southwestern Germany, about 20 km west of Stuttgart. I think it might be B. varipes. As mentioned in my comment about thread https://diptera.i...d_id=94616, I read the description by Loew in Linnaea Entomologica (1846, https://www.biodi...3/mode/1up) who states that B. varipes females have a dirty yellow venter and reddish spots on the thorax sides. The short bristles on the lower side of the very thickened front femora are stiff and rather prickly. On the contrary, B. johannis females are said to have a completely black abdomen, and there seem to be no "specialized" bristles on the front femora. How reliable are these traits? They might be very helpful in identification.
Thanks for enlightening me!
Sundew