Lmono/a~] BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 203 



mainly, nigrescent ; ^ with the anterior coxae and trochanters flavous ; 

 claws not pectinate nor double len<>th of the pulvilli. Wings clouded in 

 both sexes ; stigma infuscate ; ^ tegulae flavous ; areolet sessile or 

 shortly petiolatc, emitting the recurrent nervure from near its centre. 

 Length, 9 — 10 mm. 



Holmgren's second variety, with coxae mainly black, is certainly 

 synonymous with Des\'ignes' species, which must consequently be accord- 

 ed priority ; there are two female co-types from his collection in the 

 British Museum, which I have carefully examined. Holmgren also says 

 the 9 sometimes has the abdomen more or less discally nigrescent or 

 the areolet pentagonal, in the ^ the face may be entirely black or have 

 the orbits alone partly flavous, the anteradical lines obsolete, or the coxae 

 and base of trochanters black. 



It is said to closely resemble L. bcllafor, but to be constantly larger 

 with the frons and face of equal breadth, the two basal segments aluta- 

 ceous or finely scabrous throughout and not shining, with the former 

 impressed before its apex, and the antennae and wings darker. From 

 all the other species occurring in the palaearctic region, Schmiedekneckt 

 distinguishes it in both sexes by having the abdomen centrally red, the 

 radius straight and the claws hardly longer than the pulvilli ; in the 9 

 sex by the distinct (not conflucntly) punctate and dull two basal segments, 

 the legs entirely red with the hind trochanters alone infuscate and the 

 terebra as long as the body ; and in the J sex by the face being not 

 entirely flavous (though Holmgren gives it as occasionally so coloured), 

 the hind coxae and trochanters black and the anterior flavous. 



I must own, however, that I have spent a very long time picking this 

 species " from among Z. hellator and am not sure that I have in ever}' 

 individual entirely succeeded ; though the larger specimens and black- 

 faced males are distinct enough in their way, there appears to be no hard 

 and fast line of demarkation, such as one is accustomed to term specific, 

 between them. Or L. commixta does not occur in Britain at all and all 

 the following are nothing but unusually strongly punctate, large, dark- 

 winged L. hellator with dark-headed males. I have specimens from Tos- 

 tock (Tuck); Woking (E. Saunders); Reigate, in August, 1872 (W. 

 Saunders) ; Poyntzpass, in Co. Armagh (Johnson) ; and have several 

 times taken both sexes in Suffolk at Claydon Bridge, Waldringfield, 

 Barnby Broad, Easton Broad, the Bentley Woods and Southwold, 

 always on the flowers of Angelica and dates ranging only from the loth 

 to 26th September, though it does not appear to extend with us into 

 October, when it is said to be sometimes abundant in Central Europe ; 

 Holmgren says it is not infrequent in Sweden. It is recorded from Nor- 

 folk, Devonshire and the Hastings district, but I can find no mention of 

 its having yet been bred. 



