248 ichneumonim;. 



and varietal forms, having the legs black, with the anterior tibia? 

 and the basal half oi: the hind femora red. 



A remarkable abnormal d of this species, taken by Dr. Capron 

 in Surrey, is now in my collection, in which the nervellus does 

 not touch the first recurrent nervure at all, but is emitted by the 

 median a quarter of a millimetre beyond the emission of the first 

 recurrent ; in all other respects the specimen is normal, with red 

 legs and immaculate scutellum. 



This species is not uncommon on the continent of Europe in 

 June in woody and grass}- places ; Ratzeburg has bred it in 

 Germany from Dlacrisiu luhricipeda and Cucullia ariemisice in July; 

 Dr. Giraud has raised the var. illusor in France from P'leris 

 hrass'iccp, and, in Prussia, Brischke also bred it from Hadena 

 conti(/na. It is by no means an uncommon species in Britain, 

 though the type form appears to be much the rarer. 



It has been bred from a dozen Bonibycid and Pierid hosts, but 

 especially from the pupa? of Noetuid moths, and is very beneficial 

 in destroying such pests as Pieris hrassicce. Folia oleracea and 

 Barathra hrassicce. 



The only Indian specimen I have seen is a male, taken by 

 Brunetti at Darjiling along with several Palaearctic Bassids, and 

 this circumstance strengthens my conviction that the insect is 

 nothing but a melanic form of the var. illusor, Grav., with red 

 bind femora, of this common species. It is, however, a somewhat 

 small specimen of only 8 millim., with the abdomen immaculate 

 black, though in aU other particulars entirely typical. 



174. Exetastes lucifer, sp. n. 



c?. A bright species, with pale scutellum and red abdomen. 

 Jlead trausverse and somewhat narrowed behind the eyes ; face, 

 clypeus and mandibles pubescent, dull, closely punctate and 

 fiavous ; clypeus subdiscrete, not short, centrally impressed, 

 apically rounded and brunneous ; epistoma prominent, Antennce, 

 elongate, apically gradually attenuate and as long as the body, 

 with the twelfth to nineteenth flagellar joints flavous throughout, 

 and the basal only one-third longer than the second. Thorax 

 stout and punctate, black, with only the prouotum white ; meso- 

 notum closely and very finely punctate, with no trace of notauli ; 

 metathorax very strongly punctate, with the area? and apophyses 

 entirely wanting, petiolar area barel}- indicated basally ; spiracles 

 linear. Scutellum bright flavous, with its extreme base alone 

 black. Abdomen fusiform, glabrous and subnitidulous, pilose and 

 broadest behind the centre ; red, with the extreme base and three 

 or four anal segments infuscate ; first segment slightly curved 

 and a little dilated towards the apex, with the postpetiole but 

 slightly broader than the petiole ; second and third segments 

 subequal in length ; anus subcompressed, with the valvulie not 

 exserted. Legs normal and red ; coxa^ and trochanters black, 

 with the front ones flavous beneath ; liind tarsi, apices of their 



