Hetnite/es.] BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 1 27 



7. varitarsus, Grav. 



Haiiileles varilarstts, Gr. I. E. ii. 823; Tasch. Zeits. Ges. Nat. 1865, p. 124.?; 

 Ilolmtjr. Sv. Ak. Ilandl. 1854, p. 58; Thorns. O. E. x. 969; Schm. Term. V\\z. 1897, 

 p. 507, i 9 • 



Head black with the vertex convex and, in $ , liaidly narrowed l)ehind 

 the eyes ; clypeus reflexed and apically rounded ; palpi and labrum flavous, 

 mandibles red. Antennae filiform and somewhat slender, hardly shorter 

 than the body and very slightly incrassate before the apices ; the two basal 

 flagellar joints sub-equal in length, and apically slightly nodulose : of ? 

 fusiform, with the scape sometimes ferrugineous beneath. Thorax dull, 

 reticulate and pubescent ; mesonotum not deplanate, notauli only anteriorly 

 distinct ; metathorax scabriculous with strong costae and the areola hex- 

 agonal, broadest apically ; the basal area not triangular, of ? transverse, 

 of S elongate ; lateral costae very distinct. Abdomen oblong, as broad 

 as the thorax, densely punctulate and somewhat dull ; black, with the 

 three central segments and sometimes the base of the fifth bright red ; 

 basal segment not strongly curved, sub-linear, punctulate and strongly 

 bicarinate throughout its whole length, with its apex not explanate, 

 tubercles obsolete and distinctly before the centre ; post-petiole parallel- 

 sided ; second segment punctulate, anus nitidulous with scattered pubes- 

 cence ; terebra shorter than the first segment, with spicula and the S 

 valvulae red. Legs normal, bright red ; hind ones with the coxae except 

 at apex, and the apices of the posterior femora, tibiae and tarsal joints, 

 deep black. Wings hyaline ; stigma except basally, and the nervures, 

 piceous, radix whitish and tegulae testaceous ; nervellus intercepted and 

 evidently antefurcal. Length, 4-5 mm. 



This species is said by Thomson to be similar to H. fulvipes in its 

 pronotal carina, mutic clypeus, densely pubescent mesonotum, metathoracic 

 sculpture, venation, excised scape, etc., but the cheeks are buccate, the 

 costellae elongate, petiolar area discreted and reaching high on the disc, 

 the central segments are red and become gradually more finely punctate ; 

 above all the nervellus is intercepted. The pale legs with deep black 

 apices of their joints are very distinctive. 



It is widely distributed in northern and central Europe and was intro- 

 duced as British in 1870, but I have seen but few examples of it : one 9 

 was found among Capron's unnamed specimens and tj taken by myself on 

 26th August, 1899, on the flowers oi Angelica sylvestris at Claydon bridge, 

 near Ipswich. On 17th September, 1900, I found a nest of some species 

 of Epeira upon a blade of dead grass in the Reydon marshes, near South- 

 wold ; it was about two feet from the ground and contained many eggs, 

 together with three parasitic larvae, the whole being comprised in a 

 spindle-shaped, smoke coloured web of close texture. The larva is of the 



i.j.. i^-^- frv^. 



shape and size here depicted (figure i) ; the skin is semi-transparent, 

 somewhat dull, extremely finely alutaceous and whitish, especially along 

 its lateral fold ; the capital extremity is whiter and duller than the 

 remainder, and the moulh parts are outlined as in figure 2. 'I'he disc 



