266 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Nemalopoditis. 



2. linearis, Grav. 



Neinatopoditis linearis, Gr. I. E. ii. 95S ; Schm. Opusc. Ichn. 578, c5 ; (/• Tasch. 

 Zeits. Ges. Nat. 1865, p. 113. 



Head black, broader than the thorax, with the vertex and temples 

 strongly convex ; face elongately pilose and immaculate ; clypeus distinctly 

 discreted, apically rounded and very strongly bidentate in the centre ; 

 mandibles broad and flavescent with the teeth of equal length. Antennae 

 slender and piceous, basally testaceous beneath, with the first flagellar 

 joint four times longer than broad and half as long again as the second. 

 Thorax entirely black and strongly nitidulous ; mesonotum abruptly 

 declived apically, with deeply impressed and sub-parallel notauli, which do 

 not extend quite to the scutellum ; metathorax sub-glabrous, with all the 

 areae entire and sharply defined ; areola slightly longer than broad, 

 parallel-sided, basally curved, apically strongly and truncately costate ; 

 petiolar area ill-defined and half length of the metanotum. Abdomen 

 elongate-linear, apically sub-compressed and densely pilose ; basal segment 

 not apically explanate, with the spiracles (as in N. formosus) slightly 

 before the centre ; post-petiole smooth and shining ; black with the 

 central segments, especially apically, pale. Legs strongly elongate, tes- 

 taceous, hind pair black ; anterior coxae and trochanters, and the apices 

 of the hind coxae, stramineous ; intermediate coxae with a small tooth 

 before the apex beneath, front ones obtusely dentate. Wings hyaline and 

 somewhat narrow ; areolet entire, small and quadrate-pentagonal ; fenestrae 

 wanting, nervellus opposite and intercepted far below the centre. Length, 

 8 mm. 



It is hardly necessary to indicate the very obvious differences between 

 this species and N. formosus ; the divergence in shape of the areolet is far 

 less than Taschenberg, who thought this species referable to Ischnus, 

 would lead us to suppose, and no doubt remains that it is truly con- 

 generic with N. formosi/s. After a careful study of both species I am 

 strongly of opinion that they should be placed in the Ophioninae, on 

 account of the neuration, irregular areolet, apically sub-compressed abdo- 

 men, but especially with regard to the ante-medial petiolar spiracles. 



The only previous record of this species, which is a very unexpected 

 addition to the British list, is Gravenhorst's of 1829, " Marem unicum 

 etruscum a Sanvitale mihi misit." I possess a single male kindly given 

 me by the late Dr. P. B. Mason, which was captured at Greenings, near 

 East Grinstead, in Surrey, in July, 1872, by Wilson Saunders. 



SUB-TRIBE. 



CRYPTINI. 



The present sub-tribe will easily be recognized by its always entire and 

 pentagonal areolet, which very often has the sides exactly parallel, by the 

 exareated metathorax and large size. \n the metathoracic conformation, 

 the species more closely approach the sub-petiolate Pim()linae than any 

 others of the present sub-family. It is by no means an easy matter to 

 synonymize Thomson's genera with the very elaborate ones previously 

 erected, with no indication of types, by Forster, but it is thought that the 

 following table will serve as a sufficiently explicit guide to the various 

 genera into which the Cryptus, Linoceras and, in part, Echthrus, of 

 Marshall's Catalogue have recently been divided. 



