383. 

 APHIDIUS CIRSII. 



Order Hymenoptera. Fam. Ichneumonidoe. 



Tyipe of the Genus, Ichneumon Aphidum Linn. 

 Aphidius Nees. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 547. — Hal. — Incubus Schr. — 

 Ichneumon Linn., DeG., Geoff". 



Antennce inserted in front of the face, scarcely so long as the 

 body, pubescent and in some thickened towards the apex 

 composed of II joints (sometimes of as many as 24), basal 

 joint longer and stouter than the 2nd which is ovate, 3rd slender 

 longer than the 1st, the remainder gradually growing thicker, 

 terminal joint the longest and conical. (1, the base). 

 Labrum undiscovered. 



Mandibles subtrigonate, arched, acute, one notched near the 

 apex, externally pilose (3). 



MnxillcE terminated by a pilose lobe, with a sublanceolate one 



on the inside. Palpi composed of 4 nearly equal, moderate and 



pilose joints, basal joint subclavate, 2nd dilated, obovate, 3rd 



and 4th slenderer, the latter subfusiform (4). 



Mentum obtrigonate. Palpi short, pilose, triarticulate, basal 



joint small, 2nd rather longer, 3rd globose-ovate. Lip hollow, 



rounded and pubescent (5). 



Head transverse, the crown broad. Eyes rather small. Ocelli 3 m 



triangle. Prothorax short. Scutellum semioval. Abdomen attached 



by a short and stout petiole, convex and subfusiform in the male 



ovate-conic in the female. Wings pubescent and iridescent, superior 



with few cells, the stigma large (9), inferior nerveless. Legs slender: 



thighs and tibiae of equal length simple, the latter spurred. Tarsi 



5-jointed, basal joint considerably the longest in the hind pair. 



Claws minute : pulvilli large extending beyond them (8, afore leg). 



Obs. The dissections were drawn from A. dimidiatus Curt. 



CiRSii Curt. — Aphidum Linn. Faun. Suec. 410, 1643 ? 



Female. Shining pitchy black. Antennae thickest towards the 

 apex, with the 2nd and 3rd joints dirty ochre : wings transparent, 

 but faintly tinted with brown : the stigma very faint and nearly 

 open : petiole ochreous, broad and short with a tubercle on each 

 side at the base : abdomen short and depressed, piceous, slightly 

 ochreous at the base and apex v;hich is acuminated and bent 

 down, with 2 straight diverging valves beneath (6). Legs dirty 

 ochre, 4 posterior coxae and thighs piceous, as well as the tibiae, 

 excepting at the base : tarsi dusky. 



Li the Cabinet of Mr. A. H. Haliday. 



These little insects are parasitic, and live in the female 

 Aphides : we sometimes see their horny bronzed cases stick- 

 ing to the leaves of roses and other plants, with a round hole 

 on one side and the lid frequently hanging like a door on its 

 hinges, as represented in Harris's Exposition, tab. 18. f. 10. 

 from these some of the little Ichneumons or their minuter 



