220 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 



I. serrarius, Grav. 



■ Pristiceros serrarius, Gr. I. E. i. 637 ; Wesm. Bui. Ac. Brux. 1853, p. 309; cf. lih. cit. 

 Annexe, p. 297, fl'. 7, 8, <J ; Brisch. Schr. Nat. CJes. Danz. 1878, n. 6, p. 50; Bridg.- 

 P'itch, Entom. 18S1, p. 207, ,J 9. Plalylabits serrarius. Berth. Ann. Soc. Fr. 1896, 

 P- 317- 



Head black, with the internal and part of the external orbits white ; <? 

 sometimes has mandibles and two dots on the clypeus also white. An- 

 tennae white-banded, setaceous ; of $ serrate, of ? a little dilated beyond 

 the centre. Thorax gibbulous, black ; an elongate line before the radix, 

 two patches on the metanotum and sometimes on the pronotum, white ; 

 areola semi-elliptic ; costulae entire ; apophyses short, distinct. Scutellum 

 black or with an apical white dot. Abdomen black, with the fifth to 

 seventh segments sometimes narrowly w'hite-margined ; post-petiole some- 

 what arcuate, and finely bicarinate ; gastrocaeli large ; genital valvulae 

 large ; terebra shortly exserted. Legs black ; anterior tibiae internally, 

 their femora apically, and the basal joint of their tarsi, flavo-ferrugineous. 

 Wings more or less clouded ; stigma, radix and tegulae nigrescent ; areolet 

 sub-triangular. Length, 15 mm. 



This would appear to be an extremely rare species and Gravenhorst was 

 uncertain if it were even European, but Wesmael settled the question by 

 taking a male, near Diest, in 1850 ; they did not, however, know the female 

 or, as I have stated, the genus would probably never have been erected. 

 Brischke bred a male from the pupa of Boarmia consorhiria and captured 

 a female, in Prussia, on 20th August, J876. Wesmael, in 1854, tells us 

 Desvignes found this species near London, and the latter, in 1856, says it 

 is contained in his collection ; whether it was actually taken by himself is 

 doubtful, as there is an example from his collection in the British Museum, 

 which was captured by Fred. Smith, in Coombe Wood, in 1839. 



PLATYLABUS, Wesmael} 

 Wesm. Nouv. Mem. Ac. Brux. 1844, p. 150. 



Head generally sub-triangular anteriorly, and narrowed behind the eyes ; 

 cheeks and temples normal ; frontal depression not strong, sometimes 

 lunate ; genal costa inflexed ; mandibles never stout, apically attenuate ; 

 clypeal foveae somewhat deeply impressed. Antennae slender, setaceous, 

 elongate, often slightly dilated beyond the centre, apically attenuate ; in- 

 serted somewhat high on frons. Thorax often slender ; petiolar area 

 nearly always discreted and basally dilated ; spiracles elliptic, oval or rarely 

 sub-circular. Scutellum laterally carinate to beyond its centre. Abdomen 

 elongate-fusiform or sub-oval, apex of ? usually strongly obtuse ; apical 

 dorsal segments retracted ; thyridii often broad ; petiole more or less 

 explanate, not incrassate ; post -petiole transverse and deplanate. Legs 

 normal, often elongate ; hind tibiae a little stout and always slightly 

 arcuate, nearly mutic. Areolet rarely broad above, its sides generally 

 distinctly convergent. 



1 I liave to-day made the astonishing discovery, while glancinfj through the collection in the 

 British Museum, tliat Mcsosttiiiis mauriis, ^^arsh. (E.M.M. ix. p. 241) is a Ptatylabus. The areolet in 

 no way resembles that of Mesostenus ; it is a large black insect of live lines length, with pale scutellum 

 aud iiagellar band, and may possibly be the female off. daemon, Wesm. — CM., 10th Nov., 1903. 



