13. DIOCTRIA 731 



while D. tasmanica of Walker is only Brachyrrlwpala maculineuris of 

 Macquart. The Palsearctic species belong mainly to Middle Europe, but 

 nearly twenty extend to the Mediterranean, of which only two or three 

 occur in North Africa, though two endemic species also occur there. The 

 British species are rather sluggish, and usually occur in long grass or on 

 low shrubs ; I have records of only two of our six species north of the 

 Midlands {D. Rcinhardi and D. rufipcs), though 1). Eeinhanli seems to be 

 commoner in the North of Scotland than in England. The metamorphoses 

 are but little known, but the larvae of two or three species have been found 

 in moist earth connected with vegetable matter. The perfect insects prey 

 upon Ichneumonidcu, but have been noticed to capture other Hymcnoptera 

 and also Diptera or even Lcpidopicra. 



Synonymy. — I doubt whether the North American species referred to this genus 

 strictly belong to it, as two or three in Bigot's collection (including D. nitida 

 Willist.) have the basal joint of the antennse scarcely (if at all) longer than the 

 second, the style less elongate, the frons more shallow and less shining black and 

 Avith long hairs all along the orbits, and as a strong chaetotactic distinction the 

 thorax bears no distinct bristles but has a longer more ubiquitous pubescence, while 

 indications of a serration beneath the femora somewhat justified Bigot in havino" 

 placed them under Echthodopa in his collection. The European species were very 

 much mixed up in Bigot's collection, and his (probable) type of D. Bigoti A. Costa 

 from Sardinia may be only D. hicimta with the abdominal bands rather unusually 

 wide and distinct. 



Table of Species. 



1 (2) Femora entirely black (conf, D. Baumhaucri). Wings blackish in 



the male, brownish in the female. Eace-beard black and 

 thoracic pubescence blackish in the male. Stoutly built species. 



1 atricapilla. 



2 (1) Femora (at least anterior) wholly or partly conspicuously yellow. 



Face-beard yellowish in both sexes. 



3 (4) Wings much darkened. Legs nearly all orange. Thoracic 



pubescence black in both sexes. Large species. 



2 celandica. 



4 (3) Wings not obviously darkened. 



5 (6) Front pleural " shimmer stripe " absent. Legs broadly orange at 



the base (6) or all orange (?). Face-beard pale and abundant 

 (about 50 hairs). Thoracic pubescence black in the male. 

 Ptather large species. 3 Reinhardi. 



6 (5) Front pleural "shimmer stripe" complete and conspicuous. 



Thoracic pubescence pale in both sexes. 



7 (10) Coxse and tarsi mainly black. 



8 (9) Anterior femora with no blackish markings. Thorax hardly 



striped. 4 rujipcs. 



9 (8) Anterior femora with at least a blackish dorsal streak. Thorax 



inconspicuously striped. Slender species. 5 Baumhaueri. 



10 (7) Coxae and anterior tarsi almost wholly yellow. Thorax clothed 



with yellow tomentum, but with conspicuous brilliantly 



shining black stripes. Very slender species. 6 linearis. 



