1882.| 273 



of equal length. Head and thorax sparsely and coarsely punctured, metatborax 

 divided into six areas, coarsely punctured, with a minute tooth on each side. Wings 

 iridescent and slightly smoky -hyaline, stigma dark piceous, radius testaceous-straw- 

 colour towards the base, squamula the same, areole 5 angular. Legs ferruginous, 

 coxae and trochanters the same, in some specimens the posterior are stained, or are 

 almost black, posterior tibiae and tarsi entirely dusky. Abdomen depressed, fusiform 

 in outline, or with the sides nearly parallel, basal segment black, narrow at the base, 

 growing gradually wider for about two-thirds, where there are two small protuber- 

 ances ; from these to the apex the sides are parallel and striated. A broad shallow 

 groove runs the whole length. Second and third segments pellucid, straw colour, 



with a ferruginous stain, the rest more or less stained with black, apex black. 



Long., 3J — 5£ mm. Mas et Fern. 



I captured this species by sweeping herbage, Aster tripolium, &c, 

 on the sea-shore near Woodbury Road Station, in May, 1881. I have 

 taken it in the Exininster marshes, also near the sea ; it is probably 

 parasitic on some larvae which feed on littoral plants. 



Mesoleitjs eleoans. 

 Niger, ahdomine rufo nigroque varia, segmentorum mar ginibus flams, 

 facie pectore et linea ante alas flavis ; pedibus rujis, coxis et trochanteri- 

 busjlavis, posticis flavo nigroque variis. 



Black, head wider than the thorax, buccated behind ; clypeus, palpi, and 

 mandibles yellow, the latter ferruginous at the apex, Antennae nearly as long as 

 the body, the apical half recurved, dull ferruginous, the basal joints black above, 

 beneath yellow. Thorax slightly swollen, black, a curved line on each side in front, 

 a dot before, and a narrow line beneath the wings, yellow ; scutellum and post-scutellum 

 dull red (sometimes black), parapsides distinct. Wings hyaline, ample, iridescent, 

 radius and stigma pale testaceous, inclining to opaque-white. Legs : the anterior and 

 medial coxae and trochanters pale yellow, the extreme base black, posterior black, 

 with their apices yellow ; femora, tibiae, and tarsi fulvous, clothed with a white 

 pubescence. Abdomen black, all the segments, except the basal one, banded with 

 fulvous-red, and margined with pale yellow, which colour grows more distinct towards 

 the apex. Basal segment gradually narrowing towards the base, the centre elevated, 

 a deep groove runs half the length from the middle to the base, enclosed by two 

 sharply raised lines. Long. 7 2 mm. Caput et thorax = abdomen, 3j mm. Fern. 



This species appears to come next to M. amabilis, Holmgren, Disp. 

 Synop. Mesl. Scand., f. 19, and belongs to his sec. 3, div. 2, coh. 

 2 aa, bb, but differs in the colour of the coxae and the transverse anal 

 nervure being distinctly antefurcal. It appears to be widely and 

 sparsely distributed, it has been taken by Mr. Bridgman, in the Nor- 

 wich district, and by Mr. Gr. Bignell, near Plymouth, and I have taken 

 two specimens near Exeter. 



This insect varies a good deal in the colour of the abdomen. 

 Exeter : April, 1882. 



