284 



BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 



centrally white-banded. Thorax red, with black and flavous markings ; 

 pronotum dorsally and metathorax at base and apex black, callosities at 

 radix and the sides of the pronotum flavous ; notauli distinct ; metanotum 

 rugosely punctate, with complete upper areae ; areola elongate, sub- 

 hexagonal ; petiolar area trans-strigose, slightly concave. Scutellum and 

 post-scutellum flavous or fulvous. Abdomen black ; post-petiole rugose ; 

 terebra exserted. Legs red, basally stramineous ; apices of hind femora 

 and tibiae, and the latter before their bases, together with base of hind 

 trochanters, infuscate ; hind tibiae, and sometimes their tarsi, basally 

 white. Tegulae and radix flavous ; stigma sub -testaceous. Length, 

 7-10 mm. 



This species also varies very considerably in colour, the head, scutellum 

 and abdomen being sometimes mainly red ; from the preceding, the 

 red mesonotum, flavous scutellum and thoracic markings, as well as the 

 basally white hind tibiae, will distinguish it. 



I am unable to instance any definite locality for this handsome insect, 

 which has appeared in our catalogues since 1870. Gravenhorst took it 

 among undergrowth in July, September and October, and it has been 

 bred on the Continent, where it occurs in Germany and France, from 

 Pterophorus phaeodactylus, P. pentadactyhis and a convolvulus-feeding larva. 



HETERISCHNUS, Wesmael. 

 Wesm. Mem. couron. Ac. Belg. 1859, p. 83. 



Antennae filiform. Abdomen apically obtuse, with the anal segment 

 very short and truncate ; terebra vertically arcuate ; post-petiole abruptly 

 explanate, sub-aciculate. Legs with the tarsal claws pectinate, not sub- 

 setose. 



Whether the species falling herein have right to generic rank is doubtful, 

 since they differ from those of the genus Jschnus only in the characters 

 enumerated above and in the shorter antennae ; the simple pectination of 

 the claws would, however, appear a good and constant distinction. 



I see no probably constant character of distinction between the two 

 following species, and, to judge from the meagre descriptions which for 

 comparison I have given in exfeiiso, it might be supposed that they are 

 identical, were it not nearly certain that, in that case, Wesmael would have 

 noted the fact when examining Gravenhorst's types, in 1859. 



Tabic of Species. 



(2). I. Abdomen and hind coxae black ; pronotum and 



callosities fulvous i. PVLEX, Miili. 



(i). 2. Abdomen centrally and hind coxae rufescent ; 



thorax immaculate 2. rufipes, Wesm. 



1. pulex, Afii/i. 



Ichneumon pnlex, Mlill. Prodr., n. 1807, 9. Isclinus pulex, Gr. I. E. i. 652, 9. 

 Helcrischniis pulex, Wesm. Mem. couron. Ac. Belg. 1859, p. 83; Berth. Ann. Soc. Fr. 

 1896, p. 388, ?. Ichneumon brevicornis, Gr. I. E. i. 146; Ste. 111. M. vii. 136; cf. 

 Wesm. M6m. couron. Ac. Belg. 1S59, p. 17, 9 . 



Head black, with the palpi infuscate. Antennae slender, filiform, half 

 length of body ; central flagellar joints white above, ferrugineous beneath. 



