318 BRITISH UHNI-I'MONS. ' \ M^soclionis 



ill shady i^roves carh' in Iiiiic. Slcnton bred a iiair fnnii .U>r,/.\ifs\i{riisxu- 

 lariala at Mcmc Hill in 1907, Lvle from an unknown liosl in tlic New 

 Forest, Capron took it at Slifre; and it is ])robably a odninmn t^ardcn 

 insect, since Tuck cau<>ht it in Bury St. lidmunds durinj^ June, 1902, and 

 I have several times met with it at Monk Soliam House, in s])id(rs' wi'bs 

 early in September, igo8, and towards the end of Auj^ust, 191 1, it ilew in 

 at 8.30 p.m. to artificial li^ht. 



4. temporalis, Tlioius. 

 Mcsoclionis temporalis, Thorns. Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1885, p. 336, <? ? . 



Black with two mesonotal vittae, the temporal orbits and the le<(s red ; 

 petiolar area hardly extending beyond apical third of metathorax. Head 

 with the facial and frontal orbits equally broadly white throughout, and 

 cheeks somewhat broadly whitish. Antennae elongate, slender and 

 nearly filiform. Thorax short and coarctate, with two red mesonotal 

 vittae; areola emitting costulae nearly from its ^^entre. Scutollum black. 

 Abdcnr.cn l)!ack with the second to seventh segments apically \ery nar- 

 rowly pale ; petiole not slender and hardly longer than the stout trrtl)ra. 

 Legs stout and red with the liind ones not black-marked; claws small 

 and submutic. Wings hyaline, with stigma infuscate-margined stramin- 

 eous. Length, 5 mm. 



Very like j\I. cil^i/alis. Holmgr., but with mesonotal \iltae, shorter 

 petiolar area, the terebra longer, hind legs immaculate with their tarsal 

 claws neither coarsely nor elongately pectinate. 



"Patria, Anglia" (Thoms. /.f.). Bred in Devon from Zyy^aoia filil>iii- 

 dulac in 1878 (Bignell), and named by Thomson (Trans. Ya\V. Soc. 1880, 

 P-354)- 



5. fulgurans, Curt. 



Mcsoclionis fiilgiiraiis, Curt. Brit. Ent. x, 1833, 464; Hal. y\nn. Nat. Hist. 

 1839, p. 114 ; Hormgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1858, p. 127 ; Thorns. Ann. Soc. Fr. 1885, 

 p. 336, J ?. M.htrlcis, Htg. Jahresb. 1838, p. 273, ? ; Katz. Ichn. d. Forst. i. 

 14".); iii. 118, <? ? . 



An entirely fulvous species with the legs concolorous antl frontal orbits 

 not broadly paler ; face quadrate and the lower mandibular tooth the 

 longer. Length, 8-10 mm. 



At once known from the other entirely fulvescent species by the very 

 short central and lateral petiolar areae, the stramineous alar stigma, its 

 large areolet emitting recurrent nervurc obviously before the centre, and 

 the nearly mutic claws extending beyond the pulvilli. 



It is said to be one of the commonest species of the genus throughout 

 Europe, usually found in shady places and originally in shady ravines in 

 Ireland; Lapland, Vienna, Belgium from July to September, etc.; and 

 bred from both Casinan'a vidua and various Lop/iyii in France; Ralzeburg 

 raised it from L.laria's, L.7'ariegaius and L.piiu\ it is also recorded from 

 Eupifhccia piwpincllala \w Prussia. Doubtless common with us; Haliday 

 took it at Holywood in August and September; Bignell writes from 

 Devon in August, 1S80, " I hiive bred several Casinan'a vidua this season 

 from Abraxas i^rossularia /a, and two J/csor/torus ////gura/is, Hal. This is a 

 hyperparasitic species, and I do not think there can be the slightest 



