Parastenophora. 121 



Remarks: The synonymy of this species is rather interesting. 

 As known the Empis minuta of Fabricius has never been recognized; 

 Loew gives 1. c. a thorough historical account of this question, and 

 says that he is inclined to think that Fabricius' species, especially 

 on account of its habitat "in agaricis", was a Phora which was very 

 well possible, as Fabricius in 1794 had at least all Empidids and 

 probably also other Diptera under Empis, but the author, however^ 

 thinks this interpretation less probable, because Fabricius also in 

 1805 has the species as an Empis, and here this genus only includes 

 Empis and Rhamphomyia and some nearly related forms. In Diptera 

 Danica 1. c. I mentioned that Loew's suggestion of the species being 

 a Phora was nevertheless correct; two specimens are present in the 

 collection of Tønder Lund, the one on the label being a Phora (the 

 other a Sciara); the Phora on the label is thus the type, and as I 

 now examined it more closely it proved to be P. pubericornis Malloch; 

 this species has thus stood in the said collection for more than a 

 hundred years before it was described again by Malloch. There are 

 some points of interest connected with the story of this species; 

 Fabricius says "Habitat gregatim in Daniæ Agaricis", and Malloch 

 (1. c. 1910) took the species "on the underside of a species of Agaricus 

 on fallen timber", so that all known specimens are taken in this way. 

 It is interesting that Malloch states (1. c. 1908) that the species has 

 a striking resemblance to a species of Tachydromia, for this to some 

 degree makes it intelligible that Fabricius took it for an Empid. — 

 In Stæger's collection is an old, bad specimen of the species labelled 

 "riificornis Zett. det.", this is evidently the specimen from Stæger, 

 mentioned by Zetterstedt 1. c. the description of which already proved 

 that it could not be ruficornis. 



Brues in his catalogue from 1914 has made a Strange error as 

 regards this species; under Incertae sedis he enumerates minuta 

 Fabr., but his quotations from Fabricius, Meigen and Kowarz refer 

 to Dolichopiis mimitus Fabr., only the quotation of Lundbeck is 

 correct. 



P. minuta seems to be rare in Denmark, we possess only the 

 two specimens mentioned above, both females in bad condition, and 

 both without particular locality; as before remarked the species is 

 only known as taken on Agarici. 



Geographical distribution: — The species is, besides from Den- 

 mark, only known from Britain. 



