222 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 



Berth. Ann. Soc. Fr. 1896, p. 313, (5 9. P- armattts, VVesm. Nouv. Mum. Ac. Brux. 

 1844, p. 155, ? ; cf. Bui. Ac. Bru.\. 1S53, p. 309. 



A very beautiful, strongly metallic blue insect. Head with clypeus 

 laterally rounded ; of $ with lateral clyi)eal dots, the frontal orbits and 

 external orbits, white ; of c^ with palpi, labrum, base of mandibles, and 

 the facial orbits also white. Antennae slender, slightly compressed before 

 their apices, white-banded in both sexes. Thorax and scutellum blue- 

 black ; areola quadrate, anteriorly rounded ; coxal areae obsolete ; apo- 

 physes stout and obtuse ; spiracles oblong-linear. Abdomen elongate, 

 apically acuminate ; post-petiole finely rugose ; gastrocaeli deep and trans- 

 verse ; ? with second segment narrowly red-margined and the apices of 

 sixth and seventh narrowly pale, its terebra slightly exserted and the apical 

 ventral extending beyond the dorsal segment. Legs blue-black ; front 

 femora and tibiae laterally fiavidous, latter of $ white ; basal joint of hind 

 tarsi longer than all the remainder. Wings hyaline ; stigma piceous ; 

 areolet sub-deltoid. Length, 10 mm. 



On the Continent, this lovely insect, whose brilliancy at once renders it 

 unmistakable, is found in Germany, France and Belgium, where it has 

 been bred from Fidonia piniaria and Trachea pinipo-da. It is probably 

 of uncommon occurrence in Britain. Stephens bred it from a larva of 

 Fliisiafesiiicae, found in the Plaistow Marshes ; and Bignell has also twice 

 bred it, in South Devon, from a Noctuid pupa, early in June, 



2. rufus, Wes))i. 



IlopHsnieims pic/its, Gr. I. E. ii. 418, excl. 9 • Platylahiis rufiis, Wesm. Nouv. M6m. 

 Ac. Brux. 1844, p. 154, 9 ; Bui Ac. Brux. 1S48, p. 307 ; lib. cit. 1S53, p. 309 ; lib. cit. 

 1855, p. 413 ; Holmgr. Ichn. Suec. ii. 314 ; Sv. Ak. Ilandl. 1854, p. 43 ; Thorns. Ann. 

 Soc. Fr. 1888, p. 125 ; Berth, lib. cit. 1896, p. 314 ; Thorns. O. E. xix. 2107, S 9. 



A somewhat large, fiattish, red species. Head laterally rounded ; cheeks 

 sub-buccate ; clypeus convex, closely and distinctly punctate, apically trun- 

 cate and not laterally rounded ; all the orbits stramineous or white ; $, with 

 palpi, mandibles, apices of cheeks and most of the clypeus, and of the face, 

 white. Antennae slender ; of ? nearly always white-banded with scape 

 rufescent, or of $ white, beneath. Thorax with pronotum, lines before 

 and beneath radix, stramineous ; meso- and meta-notum more or less 

 black, especially in $, which generally bears two red vittae j notauli ob- 

 solete ; areola transverse ; costulae and coxal areae wanting ; apophyses 

 small, distinct ; spiracles oblong. Scutellum apically stramineous ; of c^ 

 centrally black. Abdomen very rarely black throughout ; the two basal 

 segments mainly black, the remainder basally piceous ; post-petiole finely 

 rugose ; gastrocaeli obliquely sulciform with the intervening space narrow. 

 Legs somewhat stout ; the slightly explanate hind tibiae apically, their 

 tarsi, and all the coxae and trochanters more or less, black. Wings fla- 

 vescent with stigma nigrescent and areolet narrowed, or coalesced, above. 

 Length, 10 mm. 



This species may be at once known by its entirely or mainly red colora- 

 tion ; the abdomen of $ , except basally, is smooth and shining, of $ finely 

 punctate ; the frons is sub-glabrous and nitidulous with large scrobes. 



By no means uncommon on the Continent, where it extends as far north 

 as Lapland, among bushes, in August. I expect it occurs freely also with 



