326 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. {_Mesochorus 



segments narrowly, and more distinctly in 9 > whitish ; ventral plica flavi- 

 dous and the hypopvgium pale-margined black ; basal segment convex, 

 with postpetiole feebly aciculate ; second and third segments transverse 

 in 9 and quadrate in $, with the latter rarely basally rufescent; terebra 

 slightly shorter than basal segment. Legs rufescent flavous, with hind 

 tibiae at' extreme apices and the onychii dark; claws densely and elong- 

 ately pectinate to beyond their centre. Wings hyaline with stigma 

 flavidous, tegulae w-hitish and areolet large, emitting recurrent nervure 

 slightly before its centre. Length, 6-8 mm. 



I still regard the 9 bred from Leeds Exetastes cinclipes cocoon and 

 referred to by me at Ichn. Brit. iii. 294, to represent a form of the present 

 species, though distinct and atypical in its entirely testaceous third seg- 

 ment, rather broader temples, proportionately longer abdomen and great 

 size — q mm. y1/. /horackiis differs from M. crassicrus and i1/. syh'arum in 

 having the head a little constricted behind the eyes, the antennae slender 

 and nigrescent,. the areolet large and emitting recurrent before its centre, 

 the lower angle of discoidal cell subacute, the legs rufescent testaceous 

 with the hind tibiae apically black and their tarsi dull ferrugineous. 



It is one of the commonest species in north and central Europe ; the 

 original males were taken on a heath in Germany during October ; it is 

 found in Holland in IMarch, INIay and August and in Belgium from July 

 to September. It has been bred from a species of lachina through 

 Zyffae?ia 07iodrj'c7i?s in Ausirici (Giraud, 1877), from Age/asfica alni (Dalla 

 Torre, Cat.), by Tischbein from larvae of Galeruca lineola in Germany, 

 (Ratz. /.f.) and Kawall says (Stett. Ent. Zeit. 1861, p. 125) that he raised 

 the female in Kurland from Chrysoinela varians. Doubtless common with 

 us, though rarely taken on the Aving. Isle of Man (Walker, Entom. 1872, 

 p. 432); Weston Mills in Devon during the middle of May (Bignell) ; 

 half-a-dozen at Shere in 1879 (Capron, Entom. 1880, .p. 89); Ivybridge 

 in Devon, 1890 (S. Edwards); three females bred with a female Braco- 

 nid from larvae oi Peronea niaccana, Tr. (Proc. S. Lond. Soc. i8g6, p. 81) ; 

 bred from larva of Fidonia piniaria through a Cainpoplcgid cocoon on 

 20th April, 1904, in the New Forest by Lyle, who believes this to be the 

 species he has bred seven or eight times at Brockenhurst through a 

 Lhnnerium from Them variata. I swept two males in the Reydon 

 marshes in early June, 1905, and another at the Westleton lamb pits, 

 with a third taken on the wing in marshes near Kessingland during Sep- 

 tember, 19 12, all near South wold in Suffolk. 



14. sylvarum, Curt. 



Mesoclionis sylvantm. Curt. Brit. Ent. x, 1833,464; Hal. Ann. Nat. Hist. 

 1839, p. 114, ?; Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1858, p. 124 ; Thorns. Ann. Soc. Fr. 

 1885, p. 339, s ? ; Brisch. Schr. Nat. Ges. Danz. 1S80, p. ISO, g . 



A black species with the mesothorax nearly always mainly or entirely 

 red, the legs flavidous-stramineous, terebra very short and stout, and anal 

 styls of (J subulate. Length, 5-9 mm. 



Superficially this species is recognisable by the short and stout terebra, 

 and, as Haliday remarks, approaching AstipJirominus alarms and A. attri- 

 cillus in its narrow and attenuate form, and strongly compressed abdo- 

 men. It is known from all other species of the present genus by the 

 parallel-sided face and cheeks, tlie internal orbits and conspicuous mark 



