6 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [ Metopius 

? usually externally infuscate and the hind ones usually more or less 
nigrescent apically, and the ¢ anterior coxae, flavous ; tarsi flavous or 
ferrugineous, with the hind ones usually apically darker; hind femora 
stout and subfusiform. Wings but slightly and indeterminately clouded 
apically; stigma and radius fulvous; radix and tegulae black, the former 
sometimes in @ flavous-marked ; areolet petiolate. Length, 11—15 mm. 




See yee 
Gravenhorst instances a ? variety with the thorax, except sometimes 
the apex of the scutellum, immaculate. 
As is pointed out by Thomson, this species is similar to JZ. connexorius, 
Wesm., in size, the colouration of the abdomen and legs, and the infer- 
iorally striolate pronotum, but differs in having no elevated clypeal carina 
and in its scabrous scutellum. From JZ. brevispina, Thoms., it may be 
known by its petiolate areolet, more finely punctate 6th 9 and 7th ¢ 
segments, and by the longer calcaria. It is among the largest of Swedish 
species of the genus. 
This is probably our commonest British species of the genus, though I 
have never met with it myself. Fabricius records it from Germany, 
Grav. from Silesia, Brunswick and Piedmont in July and August on 
Umbelliferae, Wesmael from Belgium ; Holmgren says it is not infrequent 
in gardens, woods and fields in Sweden, and Thomson gives it a range 
throughout northern and central Europe. I have placed Doumerc’s 
remarks upon this species generically. It has frequently been bred :— 
from Arctia urticae, Esp., by Boie, Clistocampa neustria and Cne thocampa 
populi by Rondani, Bryephila ravulana by Goossens (Giraud) and 
Lianthaeciae (Gaulle) ; Dicranura erminea and Saturnia pyri (Dalla Torre), 
and Harpyia bifida and Acronycta psi (Brischke). Curtis records it from 
Southwold in Suffolk, and the Plaistow marshes near London ; adding 
that it has been bred from the pupa of Sfauropus fag’; Tuck has given 
mea @, which he took on nettles on the Common at the former locality 
on 16th Sept., 1899, and he saw asecond at the same time, mistaking them 
in flight for the aculeate, Gory/es mystaceus, Linn. Dale mentions it from 
Knighton Heath, Dorset (Lep. Dorset); a ¢@. captured on Rombald’s 
