Il6 HYMENOPTERA 



CHAP. 



sufficiently distinct from Ampulicides, although the pronotum is 

 much shorter, but Handlirsch has recently observed that the 

 European species attacks Blattidae as do the normal Ampulicides ; 

 and Ferton has recorded that D. haeinorrhous lives at the expense 

 of Loloptera deei/iicn*, the wasp depositing its egg on the left 

 intermediate femur of the prey. This is placed in a solitary 

 cell, and is entirely consumed by the larva, life being preserved 

 till within a few hours of the end of the repast, which occupies 

 altogether eight days. 



Sub-Fam. 3. Larrides. Hind loch/ not pt'<licell<itf, or with 

 only a short pedicel ; one spur on the mi<l<ll>' fi/n'n ; 

 inconspicuous. Marginal cell of the front wings 

 culate, 1 or mandibles excised externally, or loth. 



This group is by some writers called Tachy tides instead of 

 Larrides, as owing to a change of nomenclature Txcliytcs may now 

 be considered its principal genus. It is in connection with 

 this and the neighbouring sub -families of Sphegidae that some 

 of the greatest taxonomical difficulties exist. We include in 

 Larrides the " Miscoplt us group " of Kohl. 



The species of the genus Tachy tes seem to have habits very 

 similar to those of the genus Sphex ; they form shafts in the 

 earth and provision them with Orthoptera ; like the Spltex and 

 other Fossores, they have the habit, when they fly to their tunnel 

 with a victim, of depositing it for a short time on the ground 

 close to the mouth of the burrow while they turn round and 

 enter backwards ; and, after doing this they again seize their 

 prey and drag it into the burrow. Fabre availed himself of an 

 opportunity to remove the prey while the Hymenopteron w;is 

 entering the hole alone ; as a result it had to come out again to 

 seek the object ; this it soon found, and carried to the hole, 

 relinquishing it again as usual while it turned round ; Fabre 

 repeated the operation several times, and always with the same 

 result; the wasp, though it might have kept hold of the victim 

 while it turned, and thus have saved itself from losing the 

 precious object, never did so. 



1 "When a second cell is more or less perfectly marked out, the cell with which 

 it is connected is said to lie appendiculate. Tin- nervnres I'reijiiently extend beyond 

 the complete cells towards the outer margin, forming " incomplete " cells: only 

 complete cells are counted, except when "incomplete" is mentioned. 



