178 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. \_Cryptopmpla. 



narrowed behind the eyes ; cheeks of $ more buccate than those of 9 . 

 genal costa inflexed and immaculate ; palpi infuscate, apex of clypeus 

 ferrugineous or in $ flavescent. Antennae of 9 attenuate towards their 

 apices and shorter than the body with the joints of the apical half monili- 

 form, as broad as long, subrhomboidal and of quite distinct form from 

 those of the basal half, apical joint narrower than and hardly as long as 

 the preceding ; of $ setaceous, apically strongly attenuate and almost 

 longer than the body with all the joints longer than broad, the apical ones 

 becoming gradually shorter and distinctly discreted. Thorax closely and 

 rugosely punctate, almost dull, immaculate ; pronotal epomiae wanting ; 

 mesosternum short and punctate throughout ; metathorax very closely, 

 finely and rugulosely punctate with the areola obsolete or wanting, but 

 the petiolar area distinct and basally nearly straight ; spiracles circular. 

 Scutellum black. Abdomen black with the central incisures ferrugineous, 

 nitidulous, very finely alutaceous and nearly smooth ; first segment some- 

 what narrow, basally attenuate, gradually dilated apically, nitidulous and not 

 rugulose, with obsolete carinae ; second and third subquadrate ; plica 

 black ; terebra hardly longer than the basal segment. Legs normal, 

 slender and pale red, the hind ones elongate and slender ; femora atten- 

 uate towards their apices ; coxae and trochanters usually entirely black 

 with the hind coxae often castaneous above ; hind tibiae and tarsi finely 

 and sparsely spinulose, nigrescent with the base of the former rarely dull 

 ferrugineous ; hind femora red and nearly parallel-sided ; all the claws 

 infuscate. Wings somewhat clouded ; stigma and radius infuscate, radix 

 pale piceous and tegulae black ; apical abscissa of radial nervure longer 

 than the basal ; areolet irregular and petiolate, rarely incomplete 

 externally ; nervellus subobsolete and intercepting far below the centre. 

 Length, ic — ii mm. 



The $ of this species is very like that of Lissonota sulphurifera, but the 

 legs are a little longer and more slender, the flagellum is differently con- 

 structed and Gravenhorst says the lower exterior nervure of the interior 

 cell is less curved ; the 9 closely resembles Cryplopimpla calctolata, with 

 which it occurs in Germany in the late summer, but the antennae, again, 

 are distinct and the median nervure of the hind wing evidently more 

 curved. 



For the reception of this single species, Forster erected his genus 

 Xetiacis, which diff"ered from Cryptopimpla only in the 9 having the 

 joints of the apical half, in place of the apical third, of the flagellum dis- 

 tinctly discreted and a little more knob-like, less rounded above and 

 below ; it is, however, surely ridiculous to exalt such trifles, at best only 

 good enough for specific diff"erences, into the position of generic charac- 

 ters : one might suspect that explorers are so proud with themselves at 

 finding a species to fit Forster's untyped genera that they drag it out to 



