30 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. \_MicrocrypUis. 



large and oval or oblong. Scutellum black ; of $, nearly always wholly 

 or partly, with sometimes also the post-scutellum, white. Abdomen red, 

 with first segment except its apex, apical margin of the fourth in $ and 

 fifth in $ , and whole of the following, black ; post-petiole sub-quadrate in 

 $ ; second segment smooth; terebra nearly half the length of the abdomen. 

 Legs of 6 elongate, slender, coloured as in A/, perspicillator, but with the 

 anterior coxae not pale, and their femora and tibiae, with the hind tibiae 

 to beyond their centre, red ; of $ with the anterior femora apically red, 

 the tibiae red with the apical half of the hind ones black, and the tarsi 

 also red with the hind ones flavous and apically infuscate ; hind tibiae 

 sparsely but evidently spinulose. Wings a little clouded ; radix somewhat 

 pale, tegulae infuscate. Length, 7-10 mm. 



The male variety effeminatiis differs in nothing but its white anlennal 

 band. 



From M. abdominator this species may be known by the rather larger 

 spiracles and rufo-testaceous anterior femora, tibiae and tarsi of the female 

 and the white facial orbits and often scutellar marks of the male. The 

 latter sex is distinguished from M. rufipes by its broadly black hind 

 femora, white-marked hind tarsi and head, more finely punctate meso- 

 notum and three red central abdominal segments, and from M. per- 

 spicillaior it differs in the black anus and much narrower hind tarsal band. 



The male of this species appears to be as common with us as the last- 

 described and to have an equally wide Continental range, although 

 Stephens says it was not very abundant near London in June. Bignell 

 records it from Bickleigh at the beginning of August ; Beaumont has 

 given me specimens from Chobham and Boxhill in May and July; Mar- 

 tineau from Selsley and Solihull in the middle of May ; Yerbury from 

 Parknasilla, in Ireland, in July ; I have several from Shere, in Dr. Capron's 

 collection, and have taken it on the 5th and 22nd of August flying among 

 reeds in a swampy place, in Matley Bog, in the New Forest, where it did 

 not appear to be at all attracted by the abundant flowers of Angelica. It 

 has been bred in Prussia from Trachea pifiiperda by Brischke. 



4. flavopunctatus, Bridg. 



Phygadeuon Jlavopunctatiis, Bridg. Trans. Ent. Soc. 18S9, p. 414, i. Alicrocryptus 

 clavadis, Kriech. Ent. Nachr. 1893, p. 57, c5 . ^1/- aniiatus, Kriech. lib. cit. p. 123, 9. 

 Plectocrypiiis flavopuintaltis, Schm. Opusc. Ichn. 600, i ? . 



6 . Head narrowed posteriorly, with the vertex not angularly emarginate 

 centrally; frons punctate with the interstices finely reticulate ; the apically 

 rounded clypeus and the epistoma flavous, and all the orbits immaculate. 

 Antennae about as long as body, with the basal flagellar joint four times 

 longer than broad. Thorax nitidulous throughout ; mesonotum somewhat 

 coarsely punctate ; metanotum apically rugulose, with the areola elongate, 

 basally incomplete and with the costulae wanting ; petiolar area rugose 

 and not discreted ; spiracles large and oval. Scutellum slightly gibbose 

 and shining ; flavous-marked, as also is sometimes the post-scuteflum. 

 Abdomen smooth and nitidulous, narrower than the thorax ; black, with 

 segments two to four and apex of the first red ; post-petiole elongate, sub- 

 parallel-sided, bicarinate and sub-strigose. Legs slender, black, with the 

 anterior, e.Kcepting their co.xae and trochanters, rufo-testaceous ; the hind 



