Taxonomic notes on Western Palaearctic Conopidae (Diptera) Author Stuke, Jens-Hermann text Zootaxa 2016 4178 4 521 534 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.4178.4.4 91768d2f-3bdc-4512-bb6b-22f841103733 1175-5326 163589 0FC215B7-B640-42E5-9709-64CC15581D97 T. distincta (Wiedemann, 1824) Myopa distincta Wiedemann in Meigen 1824 : 149 ; type-locality: “ Oesterreich ”; no information available about type material [depository unknown] Diagnosis. see Chvála (1965) . = T. melanopa Rondani, 1857 syn. nov. Thecophora melanopa Rondani 1857 : 238 ; 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 are —when compared with Thecophora distincta — 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 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 ) 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 as a junior synonym of T. distincta .