io6 The Irish Naturalist. July, 



SOME MORE IRISH ICHNEUMONIDAE AND 



BRACONIDAE. 



BY REV. \V. F. JOHNSON, M.A., F.E.S., M.R.I. A. 



Last year was not particukirly good for Ichneumon Flies 

 owing to the broken weather, especially in tlie autumn, for 

 these insects are lovers of sunshine, and in dull or wet 

 weather they are not to be seen. My holiday in Donegal 

 was on this account not nearly as productive as usual. 

 I broke new ground at Portnoo, so have a lot of common 

 species to record from thence. 1 found it a very promising 

 locality. It is situated on the south side of Gweebarra 

 Bay about nine miles from (Uenties, which is the nearest 

 railway station. 



A good many of the species mentioned in the following 

 list have not, as far as 1 kno\\', been previously recorded 

 from Ireland, but as our knowledge of these insects in Ire- 

 land is too imperfect to admit of an attempt at an Irish 

 List, it is not necessary to specify them. 1 do, liowever, 

 bring forward an addition to the Britannic List in Spilo- 

 cryptus mansitetor Tschek, but with some doubt, as to its 

 determination, I have had to depend on Dr. O. 

 Schmiedknecht's revision of the Cryptinae in the Ento- 

 mologischen Nadirichten for 1890, in which there is no 

 detailed description. 



Some of these insects i)ass tlie winter in the perfect state 

 like the Was])s, Humble Bees, and certain Butterflies. 

 Mr. Foster's specinu>n of Ichneumon sttspiciosiis was in this 

 condition, and ni}' specimen of /. cxtensorius was probably 

 just awakened out of its long sleep, as it was jumping about 

 on llie road in a most absurd manner, and 1 caught it with 

 m\' ]iand. Tlie variety of Glypta genalis wiiich I took here 

 is a very handsome creature, the red colour showing up 

 brilliantly against the dv.v\) black of the rest ol the body. 

 I was very pleased to meei witli Lissonoia Intsalis at Cool- 

 more and Portnoo, and 1 dai"e say it will prove to be as 

 common as its close ally /.. sup/iurijcra. 



As the summer draws on, ichneumon Flies become more 

 plentiful, f(jr then their victims are ready for them. It 



