Physocephala antiqua (Wiedemann, 1830)

Stuke, Jens-Hermann & Clements, David K., 2019, New conopid records from the Afrotropical Region (Diptera) - Part 3: Physocephalini, Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (2), pp. 209-273 : 217

Physocephala antiqua species-group

All of those species which Camras (2001) placed in his maculipes and similis species-groups are herewith includ- ed within the antiqua species-group. The segregation of the Camras species-groups is difficult or impossible due to the extreme variability of the characters used to sepa- rate them, and it is therefore more convenient to combine them. In general, members of the antiqua species-group have a very typical Physocephala habitus lacking any atypical characters other than an extremely short aris- ta. Careful evaluation of the character combination set out in Key 1 is necessary to distinguish members of this group, however, especially males. Several species of this group are restricted to the Afrotropical Region but oth- ers have a wider distribution which reaches into southern and central Europe, with some also reaching eastwards as far as China and Mongolia. The species-group also con- tains several Palaearctic species which are not currently known from the Afrotropical Region.