Hemileies.] BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. l6l 



however, certainly be found with us, since it ranges throughout northern 

 and central Europe. 



49. oxyphimus, Grav. 



Hemiteles oxyphyinus, Gr. I. E. ii. S15, ,5 ; Tasch. Zeits. Ges. Nat. 1S65, p. 123; 

 I5risch. Schr. Nat. Ges. Danz. 18S1, p. 347; .Scliin. Term. Fiiz. 1897, p. 538,(5 ?. 

 H. /tf//<j/t);- (? Mull. Prodr. n. 1832), Gr. I. H ii. (form, tyji.) 818, excl. <i ^ ; Katz. 

 Ichn. d. Forst. ii. 130, ?. H. liloreus, Tarfitt, E.M.M. 1881, p. 272, S ?. Var. 

 //. palpatory var. 5 et (?) i, Gr. I. E. ii. 822, 9 . 



Head of $ with the palpi infuscate, of ? with the mandibles usually 

 centrally red ; clypeus distinctly discreted, apically rounded and nodulose. 

 Antennae filiform and shorter than the body ; of ? with the joints apically 

 incrassate and the central ones rufescent ; flagellar joints of c^ not dis- 

 creted. Metathorax slightly rugose with the costae and apophyses distinct ; 

 of $ more coarsely sculptured, with the petiolar area discreted. Ab- 

 domen of c? only slightly narrower than the thorax, deplanate and oblong- 

 fusiform ; of ? ovate and as broad as the thorax ; segments two to four 

 and in ? apex of the first pale red, the seventh of ^ apically whitish ; 

 basal segment aciculate, carinate, with acutely prominent spiracles ; post- 

 petiole quadrate, rather shorter and twice broader than the linear petiole, 

 of ? very slightly explanate, of $ parallel-sided ; second segment of $ 

 obsoletely aciculate centrally ; terebra a little shorter than half the abdomen. 

 Legs normal ; coxae and trochanters more or less black ; femora and 

 tibiae red with apices of the hind ones black ; tarsi infuscate with the 

 basal joint of the front ones red. Wings in centre and at apex sub- 

 infumate, especially discally in ? ; stigma dark, radix white, tegulae black. 

 Length, 4-6 mm. 



The variety palpator appears to be the commonest form in Britain ; 

 this has the second and third segments marked with black, the latter being 

 only basally red ; the seven basal antenna! joints are rufescent beneath, 

 the second alone being red throughout ; the wings are clouded with the 

 apices and a discoidal fascia hyaline. 



The conformation of the $, basal segment and its acute tubercles differ 

 from all our other Hemiteles. 



The only point in Parfitt's description of // litoreus which does not 

 entirely coincide with the present species is the colour of the antennae, 

 which are said to have "the basal joints rusty red beneath in some, in 

 others entirely rusty red at the base." It was captured by sweeping herb- 

 age, Aster iripo/iiim, etc., on the seashore near Woodbury Road Station 

 in May, 1881, and near the sea in the Exminster marshes. 



This species, which is said by Westwood to prey upon spiders, has been 

 bred from Cymatophora ocularis by ALarshall, as well as from the marble 

 galls of Cr////^ Kollari :\.\\i\ y:/;w/^///w-infested oak bark. Fitch has taken 

 it at Maldon in Essex ; Bignell at liickleigh in Devon, in September; and 

 Bridgman at Earlham in Norfolk, in September. 



1 The i of (liis species, as described by Gravenhorst, is the i of Hemimachus trux, of M.irsh. 

 Cat. 1H72, wliicli liridKiii'iii says (Trans. Knt. .Soc. 1886, p. 341) w.is iiuorrcctly named by Marshall, 

 " and niusi, I think, be removed from our list " ; it is treated as a true HemilcUi—" ? unbekuinit "^by 

 Schmirdeknecht in igoj (sec notes under Fezomacliiis palpator, post). The only example placed as 

 this species in the Britisli Museum coilcctiun is a cT, belonging to the Stilpnuics ! 



M 



