222 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. \Pezomachtts. 



pine trees in the Bentley Woods early in April. In introducing the form 

 juvenilis as a good species, new to our fauna, Bridgman records it (Trans. 

 Ent. Soc. 1881, p. 156) from the Mickleham valley in October, and com- 

 monly in the neighbourhood of Norwich in September, 1880 ; later 

 (loc. cit. 1886, p. 341) he adds Thomson's opinion that it is only a variety 

 of P. rnfulus ; it has also been found in the Land's End district by 

 Marquand, and Elliott has examined a female taken by Day about Carlisle, 

 early m October, 1899. Dehilis is an abundant, though hitherto unnoticed, 

 British form ; taken by Piffard at Felden ; Marshall at Nunton in Wilts. ; 

 Tuck at Norton and Finborough Park, in Suffolk ; I have always found it 

 very commonly on pines, spruce and yew from 9th March to 6th April in 

 the Bentley Woods, as well as at Wroxham in Norfolk in June, and on 

 alder at Freston near Ipswich, in August; in January, 1901, Chapman 

 sent me single examples of both sexes of this form, bred together at 

 Maggiore in Italy from a species of Luffia — only the single pair emerged. 

 The form currens has been taken commonly by Piffard at Felden, as well 

 as by Thornley at South Leverton in Lincoln ; Marshall at Nunton in 

 Wilts., and Beaumont at Colwyn Bay in August. Bridgman (Trans. Ent. 

 Soc. 1883, p. 160) refers his male, anniilicornis, to P. juvenilis, and says 

 Marshall took both sexes in numbers in a wood near Milford Haven (cf. 

 Ent. Ann. 1874, p. 127), and also by Bignell in plenty at Plym bridge, 

 Bickleigh and Exeter in September. They vary from two milimetres to 

 nearly four in length ; in some instances the male has the head nearly as 

 light as the thorax, while in others it is quite dark red (as in the female) ; 

 the infuscate bands on the third and fourth segments also vary in intensity. 

 P. sublilis appears to be the apterous form of P. annulicornis ; Butler sent 

 me an example from Abinger Hammer, near Guildford, in August, 1900 ; 

 and I have seen another, but without examining it, which was taken by 

 Beaumont at Kilmore, in Ireland, at the end of August. 



42. nigricornis, FUrsi. 



Pezomachus agilis, var. 4a, Gr. I. E. ii. 895. P. nigricornis, Forst. Wiegm. Arch. 

 1850, p. 140 ; Volt. Pinac. pi. xii. fig. 5, ? . (?) Heiiiimacliiis piceus, Bridg. Trans. 

 Ent. Soc. 1883, p. 153, i . 



5 . Antennae comparatively short, with the basal flagellar joint decidedly 

 longer than the second. Thorax elongate, especially the mesothorax, 

 which is distinctly separated from the prothorax by a curved line reaching 

 to the metathorax ; petiolar area very short, its basal costa sharply defined, 

 forming a low regular curve ; apophyses wanting. Abdomen long, closely 

 punctured and pubescent ; first segment very narrow at apex ; terebra as 

 long as first segment. 



Black ; joints one to three of flagellum distinctly brown ; second and 

 following segments of abdomen with a narrow translucent red posterior 

 margin ; sheaths of terebra brown. Legs rufo-testaceous ; anterior and 

 intermediate femora with brown shade ; last tarsal joint and claws brown. 

 Length, 4^ mm. 



? $ . Head opaque, finely reticulate, transverse, slightly sloping behind 

 the eyes ; face longer than wide, pubescent ; cheeks slightly buccate ; 

 clypeus separated, its apex widely rotundate ; mandibular teeth sub-equal. 



