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Hi,
Yesterday I saw this Otites specimen in a wood in Baden-Wuerttemberg, 20 km west of Stuttgart. It matches O. guttata in the key by Bernhard Merz (1996) as to blurred wing pattern with indistinct subbasal crossband and rather wide genae. Do you agree?
Thanks for discussion, Sundew

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Lieber Claudia,

The situation is curious, and possibly there is nobody, who could tell with certainty now, which is which, neither I, nor Elena Kameneva, just because both species are not common in our country, and we're not that familiar with them, relying only on genitalic characters (which are very clear for both males and females). Bernhard Merz cannot tell either, but for another reason.

I'd prefer to have an absolute alcohol material of both species for DNA too. Baden-Wurttemberg must be pretty good place and right time for Otites porcus, centralis and guttata.

Let us think that you are now the only and the very best expert and have identified them correctly with the use of the only existing key by Bernhard!

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Dear Val, I feel flattered to be regarded as "the only and the very best expert", but don't I hear a slight sarcasm? I really know my poor skill! So Bernhard's key is our only rock in troubled waters... O. porcus was new to me, but I found your helpful paper https://www.resea...e_Otitinae and learned that it has orange legs and occiput, whereas these parts of my flies are black.
OK, let's stay with the assumption and wait for future enlightenment. Thanks!
Claudia

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Dear Calaudia,

Sarcasm isn't mine.

Just little pity that I still have no keen eye to recognize them from the outside having not enough mass material to compare both as we've done for the former "formosa-group".

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Today's collecting in Frankfurt has brought dozen specimens of O. guttata (genitalia examined), and all of them are rather brownish than grayish. So it this comparison shows that this is, indeed, O. guttata.