1919.] 133 



costatus have recently been found amongst the "accessions" in the 

 Museum, as well as an abraded (? c? ) Scirtes from Uganda which may 

 represent yet another species ? ^ 



Plor^ell. 



Muy 1919. 



TENTHBEDELLA FLAVICOBNIS F. AT LICHFIELD. 

 BT THE EEV. F. D. MORICE, M.A., F.E.S. 



The inclusion of Tenthredella flavicornis F. { = Tent1iredo JIava 

 auctt. nee L.*) among the British Sawflies has apparently rested hitherto 

 entirely on certain statements of J. F. Stephens, and the existence of a 

 specimen in the British Collection at S. Kensington, to which those 

 statements probably refer. Exactly 90 years ago he listed the species 

 as British in his "Systematic Catalogue," calling it ^Z/««^?«s^rty/cor?m, 

 giving no locality and mentioning no captor, but saying that it was in 

 the British Museum. He also marked it with a f , indicating that he 

 did not himself possess an example of the species. Afterwards in his 

 " Illustrations," published in 1835 — the year of Leach's death — he again 

 records it as British and describes both sexes, saying that it was " Taken 

 near Plymouth ; apparently rare." This statement suggests, though it 

 does not actually prove, that he supposed the specimen (or specimens ?) 

 in question to be among Leach's Devonshire captures. 



W. F. Kirby's List (1882) of the Sawflies then in B.M. mentions 

 a number of examples of " Tenthredo flava L.," all of which, except one 

 for which he gives as locality " Britain," were Continental specimens 

 received from Ruthe or Buchecher. And there is now in the " British 

 Collection " a single example of the species, which, unfortunately, bears 

 no label at all to indicate its origin, but which is presumably the actual 

 insect referred to by Stephens (1829 and 1835) and W. F. Kirby (1882). 

 Cameron also includes " Tenthredo flava " as a British species in his 

 Monograph, but says that he had seen no British specimens except 

 " those " i^sic I but ?) recorded by Stephens. 



I have always felt great doubt whether this old record could be 

 trusted, and my doubts were increased by finding that the " Old 

 Eegisters " of B.M. mention a specimen of the insect as having been 

 placed in the Collection by Leach, who I'eceived it from Klug in 

 Germany, and that there is no other specimen in the collections (either 

 •* British " or " General ") to which this record can possibly refer ! But 

 apart from this, it seemed, and still seems to me, surprising that so 



* Tke real T. flava of Linn^ seems to hare been a JBoplocampa. 



