50 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. \Thersilochus 



11. jocator, Fab. 



Ichneumon jocator, Fab. E.S. 1793, p. 175. Oph ion jocator. Fab. E.S. Suppl. 

 1798, 238; I'iez. 139; Blanchard, Nat. Hist. Ins. iii. 326. Porizon jocator, Gr. 

 I.E. iii. 7(S9, cf. lib. cit. i. Suppl. 721, <? ? . Thcrsilochus jocator, Holmgr. Sv. 

 Ak. Handl. 1858, p. 136; Thorns. O.E. xiii. 1390, c? ? ; Szepl. Term. Fiiz. 1899, 

 p. 230, ? . 



Head almost broader than thorax, dull and distinctly constricted 

 behind eyes, with face broad and wliite-pubescent, cheeks short and 

 clypeus apically rounded ; palpi, mandibles and clypeal apex rufescent. 

 Antennae somewhat short and stout, black or basally rufescent; flagellum 

 of 9 24-jointed, with the first joint distinctly longer than the subtrans- 

 verse second, and the penultimate transverse. Thorax short and coarc- 

 tate, with its sides and pronotum densely white-pubescent; mesontjtum 

 dull with notauli hardly indicated ; sternauli distinct and acetabulae 

 bilobed; basal metanotal area distinct and quadrate, petiolar area elon- 

 gate. Abdomen with second segment apically rufescent and the following 

 laterally, sometimes also apically, rufescent ; of 9 slightly and of (J 

 strongly compressed; basal segment longer than thorax, second of 9 

 subtransverse; terebra about length of first segment. Legs testaceous, 

 with the anterior coxae basally and hind ones mainly nigrescent ; hind 

 femora usually infuscate. Wings hyaline with stigma broad and piceous, 

 apically pale and tegulae flavidous ; radius emitted beyond centre of 

 stigma, with its apical abscissa straight and double length of basal; 

 radial branch elongate but not reaching apex of wing; recurrent nervure 

 emitted beyond the areolar; nervellus vertical. Length, 3-3.5 mm. 



First described from Germany; France, etc.; distributed over a great 

 part of Europe (Blanchard) and said by Grav. to have been reared by 

 Nees from fungi in which larvae of Thiea {Phya's) arcella were living. 

 There are eight specimens in Bridgman's Norwich collection and he 

 considered it common in Norfolk; Bignell found it at Plym Bridge in 

 Devon on 21st September. A spring species, of which the male seems 

 much the commoner sex for, though I possess examples from Govilon in 

 Monmouth, Botusfleming, Bishops Teignton, Nunton (Marshall), Green- 

 ings in Surrey (Saunders) and Shere (Capron), 1 have only found the 

 female on one occasion in Assington Thicks on hazel. The male is by 

 no means rare, by sweeping Chaerophylhim flowers, reeds, bracken and 

 grass from 13th May to 24th July, in Suflfolk at Bawdsey, Bentley, 

 Harleston, Reydon and Foxhall ; elsewhere I have taken it at Diss and 

 Winterton in Norfolk, Gosfield in Essex, Salisbury and Setley in the New 

 Forest. 



12. carinatus, Bridg. 

 Thcrsilochus carinatus, Bridg. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1889, p. 430, ? . 



Head somewhat dull and transverse, posteriorly constricted. Antennae 

 about two-thirds of the length of body, with twenty-eight joints ; three 

 basal flagellar joints of equal length, not distinctly discreted and about 

 half as long again as broad. Thorax somewhat dull ; metanotum with a 

 single distinct central longitudinal carina. Abdomen red, discally hardly 

 infuscate ; basal segment entirely black, slightly curved, and almost 

 straight with the postpetiole graduall}- and but little explanate apically ; 



