Lonchoptera lutea

{{Short description|Species of fly}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Lonchoptera.lutea.-.lindsey.jpg

| genus = Lonchoptera

| species = lutea

| authority = Panzer, 1809

| synonyms = *Lonchoptera cinerea Meijere, 1906

• Lonchoptera flavicauda Meigen, 1824
• Lonchoptera riparia Meigen, 1824
• Lonchoptera palustris Meigen, 1824
• Lonchoptera punctum Meigen, 1824
• Lonchoptera trilineata Zetterstedt, 1848
• Lonchoptera nigrimana Meigen, 1824
• Lonchoptera thoracica Meigen, 1824
• Lonchoptera griseola Meigen in Morge, 1975

}}

Lonchoptera lutea, the yellow spear-winged fly, is the type species of the genus Lonchoptera.

Adults vary a great deal in colour, from yellow to dark brown.{{cite journal | last = Drake | first = C. Martin | year = 2002| title = The Distribution and Habitat preferences of British Lonchopteridae (Diptera)| journal = Entomologist's Monthly Magazine | volume = 138 | pages = 121–132 | type = Print }} The anteroventral bristle of the middle tibia is missing from the distal half. Scutellum brown to yellow.{{cite journal | last = Smith | first = K.G.V. | year = 1969 | title = Lonchopteridae | journal = Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects | volume = 10 | issue = 2ai | pages = 9 | publisher = Royal Entomological Society of London | location = London | type = Print }} first and second antennal segments yellow, the third being dark, with a subapical arista.

Unlike most Lonchoptera, Lonchoptera lutea shows a marked preference for unshaded habitats. It is widespread and often very common throughout most of Europe, extending into parts of Asia.