214 Observations on Pimpla ])uiiiorum 



punctate ; basal segment distinctly punctate laterally ; third segment dis- 

 tinctly a little longer than broad (as in P. ulicicida, Mori.; Entom. 1911, 

 p. 161, o $ and herein my character for their distinction given at Revis. 

 Ichn. Brit. Mus. iii. 1914, p. 82, fails in the S sex); the deeply impressed 

 thyridii, and the third to fifth segments especially basally, pale castane- 

 ous; the sixth to eighth narrowly whitish apically; valvulae incon- 

 spicuous. Anterior legs and hind trochanters white, Avith onyches and 

 onychii of the intermediate tarsi nigrescent ; front femora entire and not 

 emarginate beneath ; hind coxae and femora pale testaceous ; hind tibiae 

 white, with apical third and a band before base connected by an internal 

 striga nigrescent; pulvilli large, but shorter than claws; calcaria and 

 basal third of metatarsus white. Wings with the radix and tegulae white, 

 stigma pale luteous ; basal nervure continuous through median ; areolet 

 nearly twice as broad as long, emitting the oblique second recurrent 

 nervure from very near its apex; nervelet obsolete; nervellus hardly 

 geniculate and intercepted by the weak spurious nervure at its lower 

 third or fourth. 



This male has hitherto been mixed in Britain with that of P. puncti- 

 ventris Thoms. which name is inserted in errore at Ichn. Brit. iii. 1908, 

 p. 81. 



In the above description Morley describes the scape and pedicellus 

 of the antennae as being pure white below. From an examination of 

 eight examples these joints were seen to be stramineous in every case, 

 so possibly there is some variation in this respect. As the sexual differ- 

 ences are very marked in this species I append below an enumeration of 

 the most characteristic features afforded by a comparison of a number of 

 male and female examples. 



Male Female 



Scape of antennae stramineous ventrally Scape of antennae fuscous ventrally 

 Thorax black Mesothorax, the greater part of the pleurae, 



and a pair of apical spots on the meso- 

 thorax, red 

 Abdomen minutely punctate, testaceous Abdomen coarsely punctate, dark brown or 



or infuscate almost piceous 



First abdominal segment oblong First abdominal segment not longer than 



apically broad 



4. OBSERVATIONS ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE SPECIES. 

 The larva of this Ichneumon lives entirely external to its host, which 

 may be either in the larval or pupal stage of development. Whether it 

 is the larva or pupa that is destined to furnish the food-supply of the 



