288 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Banchus. 



their apices, flavous ; of 9 ^vith usually the external and sometimes the 

 internal orbits flavous or, like the mouth, ferrugineous. Antennae nigres- 

 cent, more or less red beneath ; of J with the scape flavidous beneath, 

 and the following joints testaceous. Thorax black ; of 9 usually with a 

 pale line beneath the radix ; of $ with two marks on front of mesonotum, 

 a transverse and an often confluent perpendicular line beneath the front 

 radices and generally another perpendicular one beneath the hind radices, 

 flavous, usually also the metathorax has more or less of the petiolar area 

 and a mark above the hind coxae flavous. Scutellum flavous with a more 

 or less distinct apical infuscate tubercle or in 9 > entirely ferrugineous or 

 black. Abdomen black ; of 9 '^vith all the segments more or less badious ; 

 of (J \\'\i\\ segments two to four, apex of first broadly, the remainder at 

 least apically, and the venter basally, flavous. Legs fulvescent or red ; 

 coxae and trochanters partly, and the hind tibiae and tarsi apically, black ; 

 (J with the anterior and rarely the hind coxae and trochanters flavous. 

 Wings fulvescent with the stigma fulvous ; radix and tegulae of ^ flavous, 

 of 9 fulvous ; areolet broad, subsessile with the outer nervure distinctly 

 curved. Length, 12 — 16 mm. 



The submutic scutellum, which is rarely a little produced though not 

 elevated at the apex in the ^ , is very characteristic of this species ; and 

 with the immaculate femora and centrally immaculate (J abdomen, will 

 at once separate it from the remainder of the genus. 



The colouration varies considerably, especially that of the (J thorax and 

 9 abdomen. Of the former the whole anterior half of the mesonotum 

 is often flavous with but a narrow central black streak, but frequently with 

 the metathorax immaculate ; more usuall}' the latter is centrally flavous. 

 The 9 abdomen varies from all black to mainly red on the disc. 



Brischke describes the cocoon as "elliptisch, in der Mitte etwas ver- 

 dickt, derb, schwarzbraun." 



The larva, which lives within that of Geometra ptniaria and other species 

 of the same group, is elongate, fleshy, smooth, extremely finely rugose and 

 white ; the head bears distinctly defined mouth parts ; its length is seven 

 lines. When full fed it evacuates its host and constructs for itself an elon- 

 gate elliptic, deep black, parchment-like cocoon, which is externally 

 uneven, rough and felted. In 'order to emerge it bites an elongate hole 

 close to the apex of the cocoon (Bouche, Naturg. Gartenins. p. 154^/ 

 Zust. p. 146). 



This is certainly the commonest species of the genus, though in my 

 experience local and confined to the coast, where it abounds on umbelli- 

 ferous flowers : it is probably the IchniumQu iimhtUatarum of Schrank. It 

 was first taken in Britain by Hope, who sent it from Netley in Shropshire 

 to Gravenhorst. The latter tells us it is found in meadows from June to 

 September, and he saw many males flying about Pinus sj'lvestris in June ; 



