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Hi, I'd like to ask for some assistance with keying out this Empis sp (I hope it's Empis...).
It's about 4 mm long. m1 reaches margin of wing. The r4+5 and end of m1 don't seem to be leading far from each other. The comb at the apex of hind tibia has no strong bristle in it but by the comb there is one. The hairs at the margin of alula are black(ish). More or less I got to Empis lucidus but it does not fit... Can someone point out what mistakes I made? Or what could it be? It was on flowers.

EDIT Paul Beuk: corrected the name in the edited title to levis

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Hind tibia, alula, mouthparts, genitalia.

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This is a Lissempis: go back to the key on this assumption and see what you get...

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Interesting. Only 1 sp in key, E (L) nigritarsis, but that looks quite different (I also found it). Then I can't ID it mysel.

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Agreed. I still think it might be Lissempis, but your specimen has all black legs, which nigritarsis does not...bit of a mystery, then.

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I don't have a proper key that covers the Hungarian fauna (at least, not one that I can read), so...

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Well, the problem is that the proper key written in 1975 does not include any other sp of subgenus Lissempis than E. nigritarsis, which is clearly different. As it comes from NE Hungary mountain region, it may be a Karpathian speies. But my hungarian key covers such species also, which have not been found in our country but live in bordering countries and/or likely to be found in Hungary also. And still there is only one species...

BTW it happens evry time, when I start keying sometihing and spend an hour with it then it turns ount that the species is not even in the key... Happend for example with Cremifania :D

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Well, enough has happened in 'Empis land' since 1975, so it might not be in the key, indeed. :P

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I raise this old thread up...

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If you can pry out the aedeagus from between the lamellae there is a slight chance. If you can send the specimen then the chances increase.

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Thanks Paul, I'll first check which specimens are needed to be examined, and than I'll see what I am able to do :)

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Chvála (1994) mentions 5 species of Lissempis, four of which are Mediterranean (the other beign nigritarsis). Of these fout, two are described: cuneipennis and according to Collin (1961) that one has 'the hind legs more extensively darkened' than in nigritarsis; and liosoma, which, according to Becker (as infumata) has glossy back legs BUT also large yellow halters. The specimen illustrated above has black halters. So, if Lissempis then a known or unknown undescribed species.

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This is really intersting :) Are You interested in Hungarian Empidid specimens in general? I'll catch some more this spring and around April I can send You some - let's say, a dozen or two, not too many :D

Is it good to keep them in alcohol?

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Empis (Empis) levis Loew, 1873

Best regards,

Igor

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Thank You Igor, this species is not in my book. Also, according to FaunaEuropaea, it is not recorded from Hungary.

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Yes, it is. I have little Central European material and that would be very useful for comparisson.

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OK Paul, I'll contact You in April about sending them!

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Oi, you are right (of course). I lead myself be mislead completely by the image of the obtuse axillary excision of the wing (probably an artefact)!