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Is this small conopid flavipes? It has a yellow scutellum and dark bands on the hind femur
I have collected the specimen and would like to know if there's anything else I should look for.

thanks, Jeremy

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Hi Jeremy,

Do you have a frontal view of the head - this may be Leopoldius rather than Conops. Especially if taken this month.

Steve

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Hi Steve,

I do have, as it's busy feeding , and I'll get some proper ones in natural light in the morning. I thought it was too heavy on the dark areas of the hind femur for leopoldius

I only know how to put one picture up here, so I'll have to put a link to several pictures or swap this one

Jeremy

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Hi Jeremy,

Yes, this is Leopoldius signatus. Usually found near ivy (Hedera) flowers in the Autumn. It has varying amounts of black on the hind femur.

To add photos, use the "NEW REPLY" rather than "QUICK REPLY".
Cheers,
Steve

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2nd picture

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Do these pics aid id at all? I've tried to fit it to the Leopoldius key but am not really sure what I'm looking at/for or what to compare it with. What features give confidence to an id of L. signatus

oh, and is it male or female, and how do I tell?

cheers, Jeremy

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Hi Jeremy, yes its still Leopoldius signatus - a male.
Use Mark van Veen's excellent online key to NW Europe Conopidae
http://home.hccne...index.html
and view photos in the gallery here. The main difference to Conops is the lack of the long, thin rigid proboscis.

Steve

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Thanks a lot Steve,

I've been poring over that key, thing is I don't really have anything to compare it with, though I have now noticed a long horizontal, levelled-blade style proboscis on the C. quad. photos I've got, clearly absent here

Jeremy

Edit: I've added a mating pair found a week or so later