256 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Lampronota. 



(Bridgman) ; Essex (Harwood). I have it from Shere in Surrey (Capron) ; 

 Guestling, near Hastings (Bloomfield) ; Mar\ell Copse, in Isle of Wight, 

 in September (Morey) ; Golspie, in Sutherland, at the end of August, 

 1900 (Col. Yerbury) ; and I have swept it in Chippenham Fen in Cambs, 

 at the end of August, igo^. Nothing whatever appears to be known of 

 its economy, which is probably not lepidopterous. 



2. melancholica, Grav. 



IcJineiimon iiiclancJioliciis, Gr. Mon. Ped. 123, d ■ Tryphon nielanchoUcus, 

 Gr. I. E. ii, 135, <? . (?) Mesoleius iiiclancholiciis, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1855, 

 p. 141, ? . Phytodictiis nigcr, Gr. I.e. 935, ? . Cylloceria nigra, Schiod. Guer. 

 Mag. Zool. 1S3U, Ins. p. 23 ; Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1854, p. 91. Lampronota 

 nigra, Holmgr. l.c, 1860, n. 10, p. 47; Ofv. 1859, p. 128 ; Tasch. Z. G. N. 1863, 

 p. '294, J ? . L. fracticornis, Hal. Ann. Nat. Hist. 1839, p. 121. L. melancho- 

 lica, Schm. Ichn. Opnsc. 1333 (part.). Bassiis affinis, Zett. I. L 382, j ¥ . Clia- 

 linocertis longicornis, Ratz. Ichn. d. Forst. iii. 1.30, J . 



Black with onlv the femora, anterior tibiae and tarsi red. Length, 

 8 — 10 mm. 



So closely allied in sculpture and colouration to the preceding species 

 as to need no detailed description. Therefrom it differs in 

 ha\ing the metanotal carinae less strong, the frons more excavate 

 and smoother, the face a little more finely punctate ; the meso- 

 sternum, their pleurae below and all the coxae subglabrous 

 and very strongly nitidulous ; all the coxae and trochanters 

 quite black ; the (J with the third flagellar joint (figured) less 

 broadly excised, the 9 with the terebra longer than the abdomen 

 (abdomen 5, terebra 6^, mm.). 



I am strongly averse to the opinion, expressed by Brischke and Sch- 

 miedeknecht, that the terebra varies in length ; in all my examples it is 

 quite stable in this respect. 



This, also is a conmion species with us, and on the Continent even 

 more abundant than the preceding. Ratzeburg {/of. ci/.) says that Hrn. 

 von Bernuth bred it from Toiirix BuoUana ; but, without doubting his 

 eood faith, I should like confirmation of this record, which is the only 

 hint we have of the econom}- of the present genus ; I believe that their 

 true position is in the Acaeniiidts, the typical genera of which are Coleop- 

 terous parasites ; and it is certainly strange, with all our records of para- 

 sites of this moth {cf. List of Hosts, /^.y/), no one has again raised this 

 abundant species since 1852." It is recorded from Bawsey Heath in 

 Norfolk by Atmore ; Dousland in Devon in August by Bignell ; and I 

 have many specimens from Shere in Surrey, Cannock Chase in June from 



* Since this was written I liave noted Ratzeburg's record of Tryphon melancholictts, i (Ichn d. 

 Forst. ii. 113) : "Von Hrn. Prediger Neuhaus den 38 Marz aus Tenthredo {Nematus) septentnonalis 

 ^rzogen; " quoted by Cameron, ii. 40. 



