92 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Ptmpla. 



partly pale ; areolet triangular and sessile or obsoletely petiolate ; ner- 

 vellus subantefurcal and intercepting hardly below the centre. Length, 

 10 — 12 mm. 



The metathoracic areae, abdominal puncturation and capital pale markings 

 render this species abmidantly distinct among those found with us. It is 

 said to be not rare in northern Europe and has been found in three or 

 four localities as far south as central Germany, where it occurs from June to 

 September. 



Bridgman brings this species forward as British (Trans. Ent. Soc. i88i, 

 p. 167) on the strength of uncertain notes of his (Entom. 1880, p. 55) : 

 "Amongst some ichneumons collected was a specimen of Pimpla I could 

 not identify as belonging to any recorded British species. It appeared to 

 me to answer best to Gravenhorst's P. mandibularis, Mr. Fitch has sent 

 it to Dr. Kriechbaumer, who does not agree with this determination, 

 but was not able to name it. It was then sent with some other ichneu- 

 mons to Herr C. G. A. Brischke, who says it most probably is P. tnandibu- 

 laris, and so for the present it must remain." And it has remained so 

 ever since. 



26. instigator, Pi^b. 

 Ichneumon instigator, Fab. E.S. ii. 164, ? ; Panz. Schaef. Ic pi. cv., fig. 5, i . 

 Cryptus instigator, Fab. Piez. 85. Sirex spectrum, Don. B.I. vii. pi. 225, ff. 1 

 et 2, ? ; cf. Ste. 111. M. vii. 115. Pimpla instigator, Gr. I.E. iii. 21(5 ; Curt. 

 B.E. pi. ccxiv., ff. 1-5 ; Zett. I.L. 375 ; Ratz. Ichn. d. Forst. i. 116 ; et iii. 99, pi. 

 iv., fig. 1 ; Curt. F.I. 99; Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1854, p. 87; lib. cit. 1860, n. 

 10, p. 18 ; Tasch. Zeits. Ges. Nat. 1863, pp. 52 et 261 ; Thorns. O.E. viii. 746 et 

 xiii. 1408; Schm. Zool. Jahrb. 1888, p. 470, <? ? . Var. P. intermedia, Holmgr. 

 Sv. Ak. Handl. 1860, n. 10, p. 19, <? ? . Var. P. proccssionea, Ratz. Ichn. d. 

 Forst. iii. 101, d ; cf. Tosq. Ann. Soc. Belg. 1897, p. 283. 



A large black species, with only the femora and tibiae red. Head 

 transverse, somewhat short and strongly narrowed behind the eyes ; frons 

 concave and subexcavate, transversely aciculate with a longitudinal cen- 

 tral impressed line ; clypeus basally elevated, strongly depressed towards 

 the glabrous and subtruncate apex ; eyes oblong-ovate and moderately 

 emarginate next the scrobes ; face strongly and evenly punctate with long 

 black hairs, centrally convex with a longitudinal and often subglabrous 

 line; mandibles stout and coarsely punctate, margined below; palpi of 

 (J stramineous, of 9 with the three apical joints fulvous. Antennae a 

 little shorter than the body ; of 9 very slender, filiform throughout with 

 the basal flagellar joints apically subnodulose and the first nearly half as 

 long again as the second ; of J stouter, apically subattenuate with the 

 basal flagellar joints much shorter ; flagellum sometimes dull ferrugineous 

 beneath, scape punctate. Thorax stout, gibbous, immaculate ; 

 mesonotum and mesosternum evenly p>unctate and nitidulous, with 

 obsolete notauli ; mesopleurae strongly punctate and posteriorly strigose ; 

 metathorax subdeplanate and scabrous with the areae wanting, lateral 

 carinae stout and obtuse, and spiracles oblong. Scutellum deplanate, 

 shining, glabrous with sparse brown pilosity, black ; of ^ rarely binota- 

 ted with flavous. Abdomen black, of S subcylindrical, of 9 oblong- 

 ovate, longer and hardly narrower than the head and thorax ; first seg- 

 ment not carinate, basally excavate, centrally bituberculate in 9 > and 

 apically subelevated ; the four basal segments scabriculously punctate 

 with a subobsolete transverse impressed line and a small oblique basal 

 impression on either side, apically shining and slightly elevated ; the 



