118 [May, 



genus, Sphegophaga, and this name Marshall has adopted in his 

 laborious Catalogues of 1870 and 1872. Desvignes, in his Catalogue 

 of Iclmeumonidce in the Brit. Mus. (1856), termed the genus Gliyrono- 

 mon. Andre (Spp. Hymen. d'Europe, ii, 507) retains Ratzeburg's 

 generic name. 



The genus Sphegopliaqa, Westw., has been assigned to its correct 

 position at the end of the Tryphonides-liomalopi, just preceding the 

 Tryphonides-prosopi, by Marshall (Ent. Soc. Cat., 1872) : undoubtedly 

 its nearest ally in the Gravenhorstian system is Sphinctus, with which 

 it agrees in having the abdomen petiolate, scutellum flat, aculeus not 

 exserted, and the abdomen opaque and punctured ; but differs in the 

 explanate apex of the petiole, the absence of the areola, and the robust 

 legs. The position to which Westwood relegated it — between Scolo- 

 hates, Grav. (Ophionides), and Tragus, Panz. (Ichneumonides) — was 

 quite impossible ; in so doing he was probably considering, like 

 Eatzeburg, the connection, set up by the abbreviated recurrent nervure, 

 with Scolohates. 



One species only is known. 



Sphegophaga vespaeum, ^J $ . 

 Anomalon vesparum. Curt. B. E., pi. et fol. cxcviii (1828). 

 Tryplion vesparum, Eatz. Ichn. d. Forst., iii, 128 (1844-52). 



Head transverse and somewhat small, black, sometimes with the internal orbits 

 of the eyes yellow from level with the ocelli to the base of the mandibles ; face 

 somewhat finely, lateral lobes obsoletely, scabrous, slightly elevated longitudinally 

 in the centre ; clypeus black, with fine whitish pilosity, separated from the face by 

 a deep, broad, semilunar depression, distinctly elevated and slightly emarginate in 

 the centre of the apical margin, laterally finely punctured ; labrum fulvous, trans- 

 verse-ovate, the sides attenuated, very pilose anteriorly ; mandibles not always well 

 developed, black, fulvous in their centres, bifid at the apex, the teeth being of about 

 equal length (Curtis figures the interior much longer than the exterior — perhaps 

 they vary), transverse, subtrigonal, acute at the extremity and pilose externally; 

 maxillcB membranous, terminated by two dilated lobes, the inner one the smaller, 

 the external pilose ; maxillary palpi flavous, rather long, villose, submembranous, 

 quinquearticulated, two basal joints robust, of nearly equal length, the remainder 

 slender, the third being the longest and the fourth the shortest ; the mentum is cup 

 shaped ; the ligxila (labium, Curtis) membranous and semicircular ; labial jyalpi 

 flavous, rather long, pilose, robust and quadriarticulate. Antenna 5 mm. in length, 

 robust-filiform, setiferous, black, with base of third joint reddish, multiarticulate, 

 second joint the smallest, third the longest, the terminal joint conical and often 

 slightly reddish. 



Thorax black ; prothorax flavous above anteriorly ; mesothorax finely scabrous, 

 with two indistinct longitudinal prominences in the centre of its apical margin, 



