74 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. \Pimpla. 



lete and intercepting distinctly below the centre. Length, b — lo (t)'pi- 

 cally 6f) mm. 



Taschenberg says Gravenhorst's species was a mixture of several, and 

 varied most certainly in the colour of the legs and stigma. Schmiede- 

 knecht places little value upon the length of the terebra, which he says 

 may be as long as or a little shorter than the abdomen ; and it was 

 originally described as longer than half, as long as or a little longer than 

 the abdomen, the last form being taken as typical by Taschenberg in 

 revising the types. In other respects it varies most in the pedal and 

 stigmal colour, thus : 



Var. i,(J$. Hind tibiae white and distinctly binigrescent (var. 3, Gr.), 

 sometimes with (var. i, Holmgr.) all the coxae red, or also 

 (var. concolora, Ka.\.z.=designafjts, Forst.) the abdomen 

 laterally rufescent. 



Var. 2,(^9- Anterior legs white, ^ scape flavous beneath (form typ., 

 Thoms.=var. 2, ]iio\T[).gr.=invalidus, Forst.) 



Var. 3,(5 9- Hind tibiae entirely red (var. 2, Gr.), combined either with 

 {a) infuscate stigma (var. 3, 'Holmgr. =^viaior, Forst.), when 

 the 9 sometimes also has all the trochanters red (var. i, Gr.) 

 or {b) with pale stramineous stigma and nervures, and the 

 hind trochanters alone partly black (var. Brisch.=^r(?/m- 

 qiius, Forst. 



Var. 4,(5^ 9- Femora more or less black, in ^ sometimes nearly entirely 

 so (var. 4, Holm.). 



In all its forms, however, it may be recognised by hav- 

 ing: — The antennae not longer than half the body, the 

 nervellus intercepting below the centre, the basal segment 

 laterally punctate and not unusually short, though transverse 

 in both sexes, the head not unusually large, the metathorax 

 sculptured, the terebra longer than two-thirds of abdomen and 

 a pale callosity before the radix. 



This species is like P. inquisitor, but the antennae are shorter, the 

 abdominal tubercles are stronger and the position of the nervellus is 

 distinct. Thomson says it differs from his P. nigriscaposa by the basal 

 segment of the 9 being hardly, and of the $ not, transverse and more 

 obsoletely punctate ; he considered the J to have the scape beneath, 

 and the palpi, constantly citrinous ; than P. stercorator he says the antennae 

 are shorter, the ^ face more distinctly sericeous and its apical tarsal joint 

 a little longer than the third. In Britain specimens with the stigma 

 piceous are very uncommon and I have seen no S S'^ I firmly believe it 

 to be a distinct species though no structural distinction is traceable ; the 

 body is more parallel-sided, the terebra averages longer and the wings are 

 usually more clouded. 



The females of this species are very common everywhere throughout 

 central and northern Europe, but the males are always uncommon ; 

 Ratzeburg mistook an imperfect female for his male in describing P. lati- 

 ccps, which was bred from Curculio notatus. Holmgren's var. 2 was bred 

 by Brischke from Selandria bipuiicta/a, his var, 4 from IMicrogaster congcsius 

 and a Gelechia on Slatice, his var. 3 from Pissodes notatus and Retinia 

 resinana ; this last is probably synonymous with Scambus sagax, Htg., 

 preying upon Anthonomus pomorum, Tortrix resinana, T. buoliana, T. cos- 

 THopherana, Tischeria cnmplanclla, and Conchylis posterana, since Brischke' s 

 variety of the present species was also bred from the two last-named 

 hosts, as well as from Gyninaetron campanulac, from which Giraud also raised 

 var. 3, Tortrix laevigana and a Lave ma on apple twigs. 



