BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 63 



C. fabricator ; it occurs everywhere, from May to August. Abroad it 

 has been bred from Macaria liturata and (1 Fidonia) piniaria and from 

 Noctua pifiiperda. The $ is said to hibernate. 



II. pallidifrons, Grav. 



Ichneumon paUifrons, Gr. I. E. i. 117 ; Ste. 111. M. vii. 129, excl. ?; Wesm. Nouv. 

 ]\I*5m. Ac. Brux. 1844, p. 70 ; Ilolmgr. Ichn. Suec. i. 146 ; cf. Thorns. Ann. Soc. Fr. 

 1887, p. 13 ; Berth, lib. cit. 1895, p. 263, (5 ? . /. anmilator, var. 3. Gr. I. E. i. 149, 

 ? (excl. ? orbitis nigris). Cratichneumon pallifrons, Thorns. O. P3. xviii. 1952, i ? . 



$ . Head black, with the apex of the palpi and the labrum whitish ; 

 mandibles occasionally partly red ; the margin of the clypeus and the 

 frontal orbits always red ; temples and cheeks broad. Antennae filiform, 

 blackish with a pale band ; the first joint of the flagellum twice longer 

 than broad, seventh quadrate. Thorax black throughout ; metathorax 

 rugulose, with the areola rectangular, slightly longer than broad. Scu- 

 tellum black. Abdomen black or badious, with the incisures of the 

 segments rufescent, and the seventh generally whitish at the apex ; central 

 area of the post-petiole usually distinctly aciculate ; second segment 

 somewhat rugosely aciculate at the base ; the thyridii distinct, superficial, 

 the intervening space broader than the central area of the post-petiole ; 

 terebra stoutish, very slightly exserted beyond the apex of the abdomen. 

 Legs mostly rufescent, femora often darker and sometimes black ; the 

 tibiae externally white in the middle, the hind ones fuscous at base and 

 apex; the posterior coxae remotely punctate, without scopulae. Wings a 

 little clouded ; stigma rufous. 



$ . Head black, with the palpi, clypeus, face and a line at the external, 

 and sometimes the frontal, orbits pale. Antennae blackish, paler with the 

 scape white beneath ; pale central band wanting. Thorax sub-convex in 

 front \ the usual markings near the radix whitish \ metathorax rugulose, 

 with the areola short, transverse and the costulae traceable. Scutellum 

 black, very rarely with two apical dots or the whole apex white. Abdo- 

 men black, or piceous, with the thyridii and anterior incisures rufescent ; 

 central area of the post-petiole more or less rugosely aciculate ; second 

 segment rugosely aciculate or striate basally ; gastrocaeli superficial and 

 striate ; thyridii transverse and narrow. Legs red, femora darker ; coxae 

 and trochanters black, anterior coxae sometimes white-marked ; all the 

 tibiae externally whitish-flavous in the centre ; hind calcaria ferrugineous 

 or dirty white. Stigma ferrugineous. Length, 8-14 mm. 



This species is readily distinguished by the characters given in the table: 

 the tibiae in both sexes are externally broadly white, which character, in 

 the^, is peculiar to this species, and the radial nervure is not abruptly 

 incurved as in C. annulator ; the ? has the frontal orbits dark red, no 

 coxal scopulae and the post-petiole more or less distinctly aciculate ; the 6 

 has the face, clypeus, and generally the frontal and vertical orbits, pale ; 

 thyridii distinct and linear ; the gastrocaeli and intervening space rugose. 



Stephens, whose female, however, is not referable to this s[)ecies, found 

 C. pallidifrons not very common about London and in Shropsliire. Neither 

 Bridgman nor Bignell appear to have met with it personally ; though it 

 is recorded from Essex. It has been bred in Germany from the nuicia 

 parasited Trachea pifiiperda. It occurs in grassy places, undergrowth in 

 woods, gardens and meadows, not uncommonly, on the Continent. 



