82 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [ Bassus 

1. laetatorius, Fab. 
Ichneumon laetatorius, Fab. S. I. i. 424; M. 1. i. 262; Piez.63; Panz. F. G. 
xix. 19. Anomalon laetatorius, Jur. Nouv. Méth. 116, ¢. Bassus lactatorius, 
Panz. Krit.Revis: 11.74: Gr. I; ES i353) Zeth Ik. 877 Ratz. Ichn dabiorse 
i. 109%; Holm. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1855, p. 353, pl-ix, fiz, 245) Voll. “Pinacaypld: 
fig. 1; Thoms. O. E. xiv. 1470; Davis, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 1895, p. 21; Morl. 
Trans. Ent. Soc. 1905, p. 425, ¢ ? ; Froggatt, Austral. Ins. 1907, fig. 50. B. albo- 
varius, Wollaston, Ann. Nat. Hist. 1858, (i), p. 28, ¢. B. tripicticrus, Walsh, 
Trans. Acad. St. Louis, 1873, p.85. B. venwustulus, Sauss. Grand. Hist. Madagas- 
car, pl. xv, fig. 23, ¢. Scolobates varipes, Smith, Trans. Ent. Soc. 1878, p.3, 2; 
cf. Hudson, Entom. 1884, p. 171 et Manual New Zealand Entom. 1892, 39, pl. iii, 
fig. 8; Smith, E. M. M. 1900, p. 161. 
A shining and distinctly punctate species, black with the scutellum and 
centre of hind tibiae white, the abdomen centrally and apex of hind 
tibiae red. Face punctulate, clypeus discreted and apically emarginate. 
Mouth, facial orbits, a mark before the concolorous tegulae, scutellum and 
postscutellum, white ; antennae beneath, the legs and centre of abdomen 

more or less broadly, red ; hind tibiae basally black and black beyond with 
pure white central band, with the apex broadly red. Metathorax subrugose 
with its areola short, entire and subtransverse. Abdomen deplanate and 
not apically compressed, with the three first segments strongly punctate 
or subscabriculous, bearing a distinct transverse impression behind the 
centre of each ; basal segment subquadrate, centrally elevated and bicar- 
inate to the apical impression. Length, 33—7 mm. 
The extent of the red abdominal colouration is the only variable feature 
of this very constant species; usually it extends throughout the second 
and third segments, but I possess females with the whole of the four basal 
segments red and others with the colour restricted to the extreme apex of 
