Banchus.] BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 285 



3. volutatorius, Linn. 



Ichnetimon volutatorius, Linn. F.S. 400, j . Banchus falcator, var. 1, Gr. 

 I. E. iii. 388, i . B. nionilcatus, var. 1, Gr. lib. cit. 394, ? . B.pictus, Zett. 

 I.L. 391, (J (nee Grav.). B. volutatorius, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1858, n. 8, 

 p. 149; Thorns. O.E. xxii. 2413, d <i ; cf. Brisch. Sclir. Nat. Ges. Danz. 1880, 

 p 198. 



Somewhat shining, punctate, black. Head subbuccate behind the 

 eyes ; face flavous with a central longitudinal black line ; mouth, all the 

 orbits, the three basal joints of the maxillary palpi, sometimes the cheeks 

 and a centrally acute frontal fascia, flavous ; the two apical joints of the 

 maxillary palpi, of which the penultimate is strongly explanate, and whole 

 of the labial palpi, black ; external orbits always pale. Antennae black 

 with the scape flavous and the flagellum dull ferrugineous beneath. 

 Thorax black with, in ^ , the anterior margin of the pronotum, two often 

 large marks on front of the mesonotum, a callosity beneath all the radices 

 and a large perpendicular mark on the mesopleurae, flavous ; apophyses 

 obtuse. Scutellum of ^ flavous with a small stout fulvous spine, of 9 

 black with the spine rufescent. Abdomen of (^ flavous with the base of 

 the segments dorsally narrowly and laterally broadly black, of $ black 

 and centrally red or badious ; basal segment not broad, very finely and 

 closely punctate and, behind the prominent spiracles, subsinuate. Legs 

 fuhescent with the base of the anterior, and whole of the hind coxae, 

 black ; apices of the hind tibiae and the tarsal joints nigrescent ; coxae 

 finely and closely punctate beneath. Wings fulvescent with the stigma, 

 radix and tegulae flavidous or rufescent ; areolet broad and subsessile. 

 Length, 9 — 11 mm. 



Holmgren, who first identified the Linnean species with B. pic/us, Zett. 

 {nee Grav.) says it differs from B.fakafor in its smaller size, distinct 

 scutellar spine, somewhat longer and rather narrower basal segment of 

 the abdomen, which latter is less compressed and more strongly obtuse 

 apically in the 9 and, in J, has the intermediate segments basally black. 

 It is much more closely allied to B. pietus, with which I mixed it [cf. 

 E. M. AL 1903, p. 158), but may be at once known from both that species 

 and B. varicgalor by the distinctly explanat(> penullimatc palpal joint. 



It has not before been noticed in Britain. 



Brischke says {loe. eii.) that he bred it in Prussia from Hadena porphyrea 

 and that the cocoon is " lang elliptisch, schwarz, mit erhohter, zuweilen 

 hcllerer Mittelzone." Mr. Evans has, I believe, taken this species at 

 West Linton in the middle of July. (Jn 25th May, 1899, I received a 

 male from Christy, which had just emerged from West Sussex Dianthaecia 

 sp., and in 1907 a 9 bred from an unknown Lepidopterous host by 

 Clutten at Burnley. I also possess it from Bewdley and Cannock {ex col. 



