Diglyphus phytomyzae (Ruschka)

Solenotus phytomyzae Ruschka, 1912: 245, type material not located.

Diglyphus phytomyzae; Bouček & Askew 1968: 71.

Diglyphus phytomyzae; Bouček 1977: 262. Junior secondary homonym. Name preoccupied by D. phytomyzae (Rondani), now a synonym of D. isaea (Walker). No formal action was taken by Bouček because D. phytomyzae (Ruschka) was believed to be a synonym of D. minoeus (Walker).

Distribution. Austria (Ruschka 1912), Italy (Fulmek 1962).

Remarks. The type material of this species has not been possible to locate. Franz Ruschkas’ collection is currently in Agentur Gesundheit Ernährungssicherheit (AGES) in Vienna, Austria, although several type specimens from his collection have been deposited in the Natural History Museum in Vienna (NHMW). However, according to Andreas Kahrer at AGES the type material of S. phytomyzae cannot be found at AGES, and the material has not been deposited in NHMW (Dominique Zimmermann in letter). Therefore we will try to interpret the species from the original description, which is fairly detailed regarding the colour.

The description of the female strongly indicates a similarity with D. minoeus, as was also noted by Bouček (1974). However, the description of the male, or rather of large male specimens, does not agree with males of D. minoeus - at least not in the material we have seen. According to the description large males have pale tibiae with a pale brown ring close to the base of fore tibia, whereas males of D. minoeus have all tibiae dark and metallic with apical ¼ –¼ white (as in Fig. 38). According to the description of D. phytomyzae small males have all tibiae dark and metallic with apical ¼ –¼ white, as in males of D. minoeus. Either there are two different species of males, one of which might be D. minoeus and the other possibly D. begini, or this is a distinct species not possible to diagnose from the description. Because of this uncertainty we refrain from take any formal action regarding this species.