46 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. {^Microcryptus. 



the spiracles some distance from the margins ; terebra shorter than half 

 the abdomen, with the spicula stout and straight. Legs elongate, sub- 

 sericeous, red ; coxae, trochanters, hind tarsi, with the apices of their 

 tibiae and of their femora, black ; anterior tibiae spinulose. Wings 

 slightly clouded ; radix ferrugineous, tegulae black. Length, 9- 11 mm. 



This species is very like Af. luisizonius, and was thought to very pro- 

 bably be a variety of it by Taschenberg ; it may, however, be distinguished 

 by its larger size and greater breadth ; the ? by the broad black apices of 

 its hind femora and black markings beneath the anterior, as well as by the 

 shorter calcaria and terebra ; the 6 has the head and tegulae entirely 

 black ; moreover, the tibiae are not basally white. 



It appears to be very little known and has not been bred ; I can instance 

 no indigenous records, though it was introduced as British by Marshall in 

 1870. On the Continent it has a wide range in the central districts, 

 extending to Sweden ; and, in Germany, Gravenhorst found it frequenting 

 Aphides, in August. 



21. tricinctus, Grav. 



Cryptiis tricitictus, Gr. I. E. ii. 570 ; Tasch. Zelts. Ges. Nat. 1S65, p. 88, $. 



Head black and somewhat broad, though contracted, behind the pro- 

 minent eyes ; frons and occiput shining and very finely punctate, the 

 latter centrally sub-foveate basally, the former centrally canaliculate 

 throughout, with orbits immaculate ; face closely punctate and somewhat 

 dull, with an epistomal mark, and the convex, apically mutic clypeus 

 (often confluently), cheeks, lower facial orbits triangularly, and mouth 

 except apices of the strongly punctate mandibles, stramineous. Antennae 

 as long as the body, somewhat stout, black, with scape hardly longer than 

 half the post-annellus and entirely stramineous beneath. Thorax and 

 scutellum immaculate, basal fovea of the latter crenulate ; mesonotum 

 obsoletely punctate and strongly nitidulous, with the weak notauli ex- 

 tending beyond its centre ; metathorax irregularly, though not coarsely 

 punctate and not centrally convex, with the lateral costae weak, and 

 costulae wanting ; areola well-defined, hexagonal and confluent with the 

 basal area ; petiolar area not elongate, finely discreted and basally trun- 

 cate ; apophyses obsolete and spiracles sub-circular. Abdomen elongate- 

 clavate, thickly and very finely punctate, with white pubescence, lending 

 a dull appearance throughout ; black, with the extreme apex of the first, 

 apical half of the second, of the third, and usually of the fourth, segments, 

 clear red ; basal segment linear, parallel-sided, post-petiole sub-convex 

 and very obsoletely punctate, neither explanate nor canaliculate ; second 

 segment with thyridii circular, red and conspicuous. Legs elongate, 

 red, with apical joint of all the tarsi infuscate ; anterior coxae black and 

 trochanters white ; hind coxae, trochanters, tibiae, except basally, and 

 tarsi black, these last with the fourth, third and apical half of the second 

 joints clear white. Wings hyaline and not narrow ; areolet entire and 

 somewhat broad ; stigma piceous, radix and tegulae white ; nervellus sub- 

 opposite and intercepted far below the centre. Length, 7-8 mm. 



In its elongate legs, antennae and abdomen, as also the white tarsi, it 

 resembles M. pe7'spicillator, from which the form of the metathoracic 

 spiracles renders it distinct ; Taschenberg places it next to M. leucostictus. 

 Thomson (O. E. v. 524, — followed by Schmiedeknecht) queries the 



