BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 73 



tarsi, as well as the shorter first and sub-quadrate second flagellar joints, 

 render it sufficiently distinct. 



I swept an example from Erica, in the middle of a beech wood, at 

 Denny, in the New Forest, on August 13th, 1901 ; and Miss Chawner has 

 also taken it near Lyndhurst during recent years. It has not before been 

 recorded from Britain, but is found in Central and Northern Europe. 



MELANICHNEUMON, Thomson. 

 Thorns. O. E. xviii. 1S93, 1954. 



Head not triangular ; cheeks more strongly punctate and not very short ; 

 mandibles stout and somewhat narrowed towards their apices ; face not 

 arched. Antennae filiform or a little attenuated apically. Thorax with 

 complete costae and areae ; areola sub-quadrate or hexagonal, posteriorly 

 inflexed ; costulae stout, usually emitted from centre of areola. Abdomen 

 black, or if red the thorax is also mainly red ; the anterior segments 

 rarely with pale lateral markings ; the anus very often with one or two 

 white marks ; post-petiole centrally punctate or smooth, rarely punctate- 

 substriolate a little broader than the lateral areae ; second segment strongly 

 punctate, thyridii often small but deeply impressed ; third segment with 

 distinct depression. Hind femora sometimes slender. Wings usually with 

 stigma nigrescent. 



There is, I think, no doubt that Ichneumon eryfhraeus, Grav., and / 

 sanguinator, Rossi, which are not mentioned by Thomson, who might 

 otherwise have modified its name, must be included in this genus, with the 

 characters of which (excepting, perhaps, the deplanate face) they exactly 

 coincide. 



Into this group Holmgren restores Wesmael's genus Eiipalamus, which 

 has much in common with it, but may be differentiated by its generic 

 characters. 



Table of Species. 



(2). I. Length over 13 mm. ; frontal orbits 



broadly white in both sexes i. LEUCOMELAS, Gmcl. 



(i). 2. Length under 13 mm. ; frontal orbits 

 immaculate or narrowly white. 

 (16). 3. Abdomen with central segments black. 

 (7). 4. Post-petiole punctate or scabriculous. 



(6). 5. Legs nigrescent with white markings 2. DUMETICOLA, Grav. 

 (5). 6. Legs mainly red, not white-marked ... 3. NUDICOXA, 77/t»wi-. 

 (4). 7. Post-petiole aciculate. 

 (9). 8. Gastrocaeli wanting; post-petiole cen- 

 trally very broad 4. BIMACULATORIUS, Panz. 



(8). 9. Gastrocaeli small but deep ; post- 

 petiole normal. 

 (11). 10. Coxae of 5 scopuliferous ; antennae 



of $ pale-banded 5. saturatorius, Linn. 



(10). II. Coxae with no scopulae ; antennae of 



$ with no pale band. 

 (15). 12. Scutellum apically or entirely white. 

 (14). 13. Second segment basally aciculate in 



?; anus of (^ immaculate 6. monostagon, (7;7?t'. 



(13). 14. Second segment evenly punctate ; 



anus of ^ white-marked 7. perscrutator, //'cj/;/. 



