128 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Po/vsphimta. 



larva with a "smooth uniform surface," which later spins a silken cocoon 

 after having quitted the body of the host. From this cocoon the ichneu- 

 mon emerged at the end of a month and the female laid her eggs — a very 

 rare observation — on a new victim's body. Subsequently Blackwall pub- 

 lished the same history, though in fuller detail, in Ann. Nat. Hist. 1842, 

 p. I ('/ seqq : — A young female of Epcira antriada ( Aleta Meriamw, Scop.) 

 was captured in April, 1838, bearing one of these ichneumon larvae ; the 

 latter was fully developed on 27th June following and proved to be a 

 female of /*. raA(5'fl«£^^^, Grav. Blackwall also bred on i6th August, the 

 male of the same parasite from another Aleta IMerianae, taken on 20th 

 July, 1838. 



Boie further describes the habits of this species, the larva of which he 

 found on two young indi\'iduals of Epcira diadaiiata, Clerck, ( Stett. P2nt. 

 Zeit. 1846, p. 292). He says that upon one of these there were three 

 larvae, which were arranged at such regular intervals that one might sup- 

 pose them to be whitish epidermal marks ; on the other spider there were 

 two larvae. These larvae, like true vampires, grew in size at the expense 

 of the spiders, which spun an incomplete bundle of web and died. Two 

 larvae only, one on each spider (proving Blackwall's assertion to be at 

 least partly true) were fully grown. These constructed a greenish-grey 

 cocoon and became imagines on July ist. They had been found on the 

 spiders on 14th June and spun their cocoons on 21st of the same month, 

 immediately their victims had died. 



Ratzeburg's record respecting this species ( Ichn. d. Forst. iii, p. iii) 

 " Hr. Drewsen hat diese Species aus Spimnneneiern erzogen," and 

 Brischke's breeding of it from a sawfly, xVff/ia/ns 7'f/i/ncosi/s, are probably 

 a little lax. 



In the spring of 1869, van Vollenhoven received an immature specimen 

 of Epcira cuciahitina, Clerck., on which a parasitic larva was feeding. The 

 spider spun a web on the following day and the ichneumonid larva con- 

 tinued to grow rapidly during the next three or four days ; it then spun a 

 cocoon of its own and allowed the empty spider's skin to fall. Twelve 

 davs after the completion of the cocoon a male P. carbonata emerged from 

 it (Tijds. v. Fnt. 1870, pp. 17 — 19). 



6. Bohemani, Holmgr. 



Polysphincta Bohemani, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1860, n. 10, p. 30; Thorns. 

 O.E. xii. 1253, ? ; cf. lib. cit. xix. 2128. 



A dull black and red species. Head distinctly constricted behind the 

 eyes, from in front transverse and subcoarctate below the prominent eyes; 

 frons impressed on either side above the antennae ; mandibles, palpi and 

 apex of the clypeus white. Antennae infuscate, basally testaceous with 

 the scape white beneath. Thorax red with the pro- and meta-thoraces 

 mainly black; mesonotum dull, densely and finely punctate and pubescent 

 with elongate notauli ; metathorax dull and very finely scabrous with the 

 sulcus obsolete and a supracoxal red dot ; petiolar area nitidulous and 

 basally incomplete. Scutellum and postscutellum red. Abdomen of 9 

 nigrescent, of ^ badious, and distinctly dull ; basal segment not shorter 

 than the somewhat elongate hind coxae, deplanate laterally at the apex, 

 with the carinae not conspicuous ; second to fourth segments transversely 

 impressed before the apex but not laterally tuberculate ; terebra shorter 

 than the basal segment with the valvulae pilose. Legs normal with the 



