Thecophora distincta, Wiedemann, 1824

Stuke, Jens-Hermann, 2016, Taxonomic notes on Western Palaearctic Conopidae (Diptera), Zootaxa 4178 (4), pp. 521-534 : 532

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4178.4.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0FC215B7-B640-42E5-9709-64CC15581D97
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6070360
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03CE87E7-B320-9277-30DA-FEAAF1E2FC4A
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Thecophora distincta
status

Treatment

T. distincta (Wiedemann, 1824) View in CoL

Myopa distincta Wiedemann in Meigen 1824: 149 View in CoL ; type-locality: “ Oesterreich ”; no information available about type material [depository unknown]

Diagnosis. see Chvála (1965).

= T. melanopa Rondani, 1857 View in CoL syn. nov.

Thecophora melanopa Rondani 1857: 238 View in CoL ; type-locality: “in ditionis parmensis inveni” [ Italy]; syntypus 2♂ 2♀ [ MZUF]

The type material deposited in the MZUF was recently studied by the author. Typical specimens identified as Thecophora melanopa View in CoL are —when compared with Thecophora distincta View in CoL — smaller, darker and have more or less completely black femora. There are many intermediates, however, which cannot be safely assigned and no other characters could be found to distinguish the two forms. T. melanopa View in CoL is typically recorded at higher altitudes with colder climatic conditions, and may therefore be an environmentally determined form. This is a very similar situation to Zodion cinereum ( Fabricius, 1794) View in CoL and Zodion notatum ( Meigen, 1804) , typical specimens of which appear superficially distinct on size and colour characters, but which are linked by a more or less complete series of intermediates. After long discussion, these two species were also synonymised by Mei & Stuke (2008). Accordingly, I herewith treat T. melanopa View in CoL as a junior synonym of T. distincta View in CoL .