42 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Microcryplus. 



rudimentary, not reaching apex of metathorax and somewhat densely 

 clothed with elongate and piceous setae. Length, 3-8 mm. 



Of Gravenhorst's two male varieties, the first has the coxae and tro- 

 chanters mainly red or flavescent, with the areola apically incomplete, and 

 the second has the anterior femora externally infuscate ; flaveolatus is 

 another male, differing only in the antennae being somewhat stouter, the 

 metathoracic costae stronger, a white callosity beneath the radix, segments 

 two to four basally black, the following being black, with rufescent apical 

 margins, and the post-petiole canaliculate. 



This species may be known by the female's squamiform wings, which 

 extend only to the metathoracic spiracles, tricoloured antennae, and very 

 distinctive coloration. The antennae of the male are nearly longer than 

 the whole body, generally pale beneath, with obsoletely elevated lines ; its 

 scutellum and post-scutellum are citrinous, and the smoothly shagreened 

 and shining frons, mesonotum and upper mesopleurae are also distinctive ; 

 the base of the anterior legs is variable in colour. 



There can, I think, be little doubt that Aptesis siidetica is no more than 

 a small form of the present species, as was proposed by Forster : — 



Head black, palpi yellow ; mandibles red, apically black ; clypeus and 

 centre of face above it, as far as the base of antennae, also red. Punc- 

 turation strong, especially on the vertex, interstices between the punctures 

 smooth ; only the face centrally distinctly rugose, punctate. Antennae 

 tricoloured, one to five red-yellow, eight to eleven yellowish-white, the 

 remainder brown. Thorax strongly and somewhat closely punctured and 

 pubescent ; pro- and meso-thorax yellow, also the scutellum ; metathorax 

 darker, either red or red-brown, or the slope and the sides over the inter- 

 mediate coxae infuscate ; transverse ridge centrally obsolete, laterally 

 strongly dentate. Abdomen very finely and diffusely punctate and 

 pubescent, the hairs rather long ; red-yellow, segment three centrally 

 l)rown, basally and laterally red-yellow, fourth also brown, wath yellowish 

 sides, and the posterior margin also lighter. Terebra at least as long as 

 the first segment, if not slightly longer ; basal segment not tuberculate, 

 gradually but not strongly widened from base to apex, apically rather 

 broad. Legs red-yellow, hind femora apically almost imperceptibly 

 infuscate, aj)ex of hind tibiae brownish. 



This beautiful species is by no means uncommon throughout the whole 

 year. The females are often found hibernating in moss in the winter, and 

 may be swept from herbage in April and September ; and occasionally 

 beaten from bushes, up which they doubtless run to approach their 

 victims, in May. The males may also be beaten from the undergrowth in 

 woods, but are more usually taken flying in the sunshine upon hot days, 

 and upon the flower-tables of Heracleuin and Angelica. I have never 

 found the female between ist May and 21st September; while the male 

 has only occurred to me between 12th June and 17th September. Mar- 

 shall bred the female from Hybernia defo/iaria, and it has been taken at 

 Blandford, in Dorset (P.Cambridge), Carlisle (Day), Birmingham (Bradley), 

 Wicken Fen, in Cambs., with Myriiiedonia colhiris, in a nest of Myrmica 

 laevinodis (Donisthorpe), Tostock (Sladen), Snarehole and Knowle (VV. 

 Ellis), Felden, in Herts. (Piffard), Giffnook and Ayr, in Scotland, in 

 March (Dalglish), Hillend, Edinburgh (Evans), VVhauphill, in Wigtown- 

 shire (Gordon), Chatham and Fluntingfield (Chitty), the Lake district 



