122 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. {Polysphmda. 



the centre of the first recurrent nervure, the basally trituberculate petiolar 

 area and the remarkable conformation of the $ flagelhim. Oraven- 

 horst remarks that the $ in conformation and abdominal sculpture is 

 very like Schizopyga podagrica, but with the legs a little more slender and 

 the thorax more convex ; his female, with canaliculate basal segment, 

 cannot, I think, be co-specific, though admitted as such by modern 

 authors. The long terebra and abdominal conformation render this species 

 closely allied to Pimpla. 



There appear to be no records of the economy of this species, which 

 occurs in Belgium in July and August, though it is probably not un- 

 common with us, since Bridgman found it at Brundall, near Norwich, in 

 Way and Bignell has taken it at both Bickleigh and Exeter, in the 

 middle of September. There are examples of both sexes in Marshall's 

 collection in the British INIuseum from Botusfleming, in Cornwall. It is 

 probably not uncommon in the New Forest ; Adams has taken it at 

 Lyndhurst and I found both sexes in Matley Bog, in damp situations in 

 August, iQoi ; the male was flying to a thistle head.''' Tomlin has sent 

 me a $ from Carlisle in September and both sexes are singly represented 

 from Shere in Surrey in Capron's collection. 



2. subrufa, Bridg. 

 Polysphincta siibnifa, Bridg. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1887, p. 377 ; Schra. Opusc. 

 Ichn. XV. 1166, ? . 



Shining and black, with the thorax broadly red beneath. Head 

 moderately constricted behind the eyes ; clypeus and mandibles dull 

 white, with the apices of the latter piceous. Antennae simple, rather 

 longer than three-quarters of the body. Thorax black with the meso- 

 and meta-sternum, and lower half of the mesopleurae, red ; mesonotum 

 with the notauli subobsolete ; metathorax with the three upper areae dis- 

 tinct. Scutellum black. Abdomen immaculate ; basal segment as long 

 as its apical breadth, discally bicarinate to beyond its centre and, like 

 the second, obsoletely scabriculous ; second and third segments trans- 

 versely impressed, the remainder smooth and nitidulous ; terebra stout, 

 as long as the basal segment or one fifth of the abdomen. Legs red ; 

 posterior tarsi, except their basal joints basally, and the apices of their 

 tibiae infuscate ; base of the hind tibiae stramineous, bounded by an 

 infuscate band. Stigma testaceous with its base paler, tegulae stramineous ; 

 radial cell lanceolate and one-third longer than the basal abscissa of the 

 radius ; nervellus not very distinct and intercepting a little below the 

 centre. Length, 6 mm. 



Bridgman thought this species most closely allied to P. pcrcontatoria. 

 But, if his description be sufficiently exact, the unimpressed third to 

 fifth abdominal segments will at once distinguish it from all our other 

 species. 



It was described from two females ; one taken by Champion at Avie- 

 more in Scotland, and the other by Atmore at Kings Lynn in Norfolk 

 during June, 1887. I have heard of no additional records. 



♦While watching this male, I saw an inexplicable occurrence: A wasp (Ve^pa'>. yulsarii) 

 brought a larva in its mouth and carefully placed it at the base of one of the leaves of this thistle 

 (Cni'cHS />fl/i(s<m), against the stem I took the larva, which might perhaps have burrowed into the 

 stem if left. It was quite healthy, though it had eaten nothing, on the 23rd of the following Decem- 

 ber ; but had died by the beginning of April, 1902, though not beiure changing sufficiently to show a 

 distinctly dipterous head. Was this the larva of /4 c»ocfj-rt or Opcodes} If so it was certainly not 

 "stored up" and I do not thinlc it possible I can have mistaken a Crabro for a Vcspa (cf. E.M.M. 

 1902, p. 205). 



