BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 213 



with a minute vertical dot and sometimes another at the external orbits ; 

 the antennae of the ? are a little shorter, with the second flagellar joint not 

 longer than broad and the pale central hand broader, of cj rarely semi- 

 annulated with wliite or red ; metathorax a little shorter and less rugose ; 

 the scutehum, and ^ post-scutellum, usually white, not fiavous ; the basal 

 segments shining, punctate or hardly rugose ; post-petiole slightly broader, 

 finely sculptured and centrally glabrous at its apex ; the legs are a little 

 shorter and the 3 tegulae and radix are mainly white. 



I recently brought forward this species, whose female is known to hiber- 

 nate, as new to Britain on the strength of an example of that sex, taken by 

 Col. Yerbury, at Parknasilla, in S.W. Ireland, in the middle of July, and I 

 subsequently stated the probability oi Ichneumon crassicornis, Steph., being 

 its male. I have not yet verified nor controverted this latter analogy ; 

 Stephens says his insect was taken near London, in June, and probably 

 also at Hertford. Wesmael's species is probably mixed in our, as in the 

 Continental, collections with the preceding {cf. Kriech. Ent. Nachr. 1893, 

 p. 264 et Schm. Opusc. Ichn. iii. 212). 



Sub-tribe 

 PLATYURINI. 



Table of Gencfa. 



(6). I. Scutellum not margined beyond its centre. 



(5). 2. Hind tibiae straight. 



(4). 3. Clypeus apically incrassate ; front tarsi 



spinose i. Eristicus, Wesni. 



(3). 4. Clypeus not incrassate ; front tarsi not 



spinose , 2. Tricholabus, 77^^//^. 



(2). 5. Hind tibiae slightly arcuate ; clypeus and 



tarsi normal 3. EURVLABUS, IVcsni. 



(i). 6. Scutellum margined to beyond its centre. 

 (8). 7. Scutellum always margined to its apex ; (J 



antennae distinctly serrate 4. Pristiceros, Grav. 



(7). 8. Scutellum rarely margined to its apex ; $ 



antennae not distinctly serrate 5. Platvlabus, Wesm. 



ERISTICUS, WesmaeL 

 Wesm. Nouv. Mem. Ac. Brux. 1844, p. 13. 



This genus differs from all others of the Ichneumoninae^ except, perhaps, 

 my genus Proboloides^ in having the clypeus apically incrassate, narrowly 

 reflexed in the form of a hem ; the scutellum is of normal height and 

 gradually declived posteriorly, laterally carinate only at the base ; the front 

 tarsal joints are furnished for the most part with fine spines. 



Wesmael, in 1844, erected it on account of the singular clypeal forma- 

 tion for the reception of Ichneumon c/ericus, Grav., but placed it among 

 the Oxypyi^^ini ; he subsequently entertained doubts concerning its indi- 

 viduality, finally remarking " chacun est libre d'cn juger comme bon lui 

 semblera," and Marshall, followed by Certhoumieu, re-merged it in Ich- 

 neumon, but Ash mead, in 1900, has transposed it to the Platyurini. 

 Schmicdeknecht considers neither the present genus nor Pristiceros to 

 be valid. 



