310 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Astiphnmniius 



Thomson says the face of both sexes is pale, but in all my females only 

 the mouth is flavous with cheeks and clypeus rufescent. This species 

 somewhat resembles J]f(Soc/ionis vitlicoUis, but is distinct in its strong 

 nervellus, and from its alli(>s in (lie rxtraordinarv lennth of the lower 

 mandibular tooth. 



It was described from Sweden, and I introduced it as British ten years 

 ago. During 1900 and 1901 1 bred a great many specimens of both sexes 

 from the thousand cocoons of Exefasfes cinctipes which at that time 

 passed through my hands {cf. Ichn. Brit. iii. 294 el E.M.M. 1903, pp. 157- 

 164); it is undoubtedly hyperparasitic through this Banchid upon such 

 common Noctuae as Mamcslra hmssicae and Hadena oleracea, and emerges 

 through an irregularly excised orifice a little on one side of the apex of 

 the Exc/as/is cocoon, within which its pupa lies free. I have never met 

 with this species on the wing and all my examples are from the neigh- 

 bourhood of Leeds in Yorkshire. 



5. strenuus, Holiugr. 



Mcsocltorus sf)lcndiduhis, var. 6, Gr. I.E. ii. 969, cf. i. Suppl, 717, 9 . M. 

 str-jitniis, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1858, p. 119; Brisch. Schr. Nat. Ges. Danz. 

 1880, p. 180, J ? . Astiphrojumus strcntttis, Thorns. Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1885, 

 p. 329, 3 ? . 



A black species with the abdomen except basally and the legs stra- 

 mineous-testaceous, the latter partly infuscate, lateral metathoracic costae 

 basally obsolete and, in ^, the pleurae and central abdominal plaga 

 stramineous. Head transverse and posteriorly constricted, with vertex 

 narrow ; frons glabrous, nitidulous and laterally impressed ; face sub- 

 prominent, punctate and in 9 transverse ; mandibular teeth of equal 

 length; mandibles except apically and clypeal margin of 9 pale; ^ with 

 face, clypeus, mouth and cheeks flavidous. Antennae somewhat stout 

 and longer than the body, rufescent and basally paler. Thorax stout 

 with radical callosities and another below wings rufescent in 9 ; of J' 

 rufescent beneath, with prosternum whitish ; pleurae centrally smooth 

 and shining; metathorax with complete upper areae, lateral costae basally 

 obsolete, petiolar area short and areola narrow. Scutellum of ^ often 

 subrufescent-marked. Abdomen hardly longer than head and thorax, 

 smooth and shining, black and of ^ with a central whitish vitta ; of 9 

 with the third and following segments usually entirely testaceous, the 

 second triangularly flavidous from apical angles to disc ; petiole not broad ; 

 second and third segments of equal length and slightly longer than broad ; 

 gastrocoeli distinct; terebra stout and hardly shorter than basal segment. 

 Legs pale flavous with apices of hind tibiae somewhat broadly nigrescent, 

 their femora apically and sometimes the coxal base infuscate ; claws short 

 and pectinate. Wings with areolet very shortly petiolate, emitting recur- 

 rent nervure fr(;m its centre ; radius apically straight; stigma dull testac- 

 eous, lower basal nervure elongately postfurcal ; parallel nervure emitted 

 from centre of brachial cell ; nervellus intercepted below its centre. 

 Length, 8-10 mm. 



North and central Europe: common in Thuringia ; bred in Prussia 

 from Eiipithicia aclacata and a species of CucuUia; and in France from 

 both (\wipophx hrevkoniis and C. falcatoi'; in Belgium it is said to occur 

 in Jul)-. tJne of the earliest specirs recorded from llritain, since Gra\'en- 



