Mesoletus | BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 163 
ever since; but the single male in Stephens’ collection, in Mus. Brit., 
labelled “var. 1—?” by Desvignes, is nothing but an unusually large 
Mesoleptus prosoleucus, Gr. Consequently, in the absence of all later 
records, it seems that we have but slender right to this species in our List. 
31. dubius, Holmer. 
Mesoleius dubius, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1876, p.33 (mec 1855); Brisch. Schr. 
Nat. Ges. Danz. 1878, p.77; Thoms. O. E. xix. 2065, ¢. 
Head a little constricted posteriorly; mouth and clypeus flavidous ; 
clypeus transversely elevated and apically subtruncate. Antennae with 
flagellum ferrugineous beneath. Thorax with a flavidous dot before 
radices ; notauli somewhat superficial, not extending to mesonotal centre 
and apically obsolete ; mesopleurae shining and finely alutaceous ; areola 
more or less evanescent; petiolar area generally entire, sometimes basally 
incomplete. Scutellum occasionally apically rosy. Abdomen with apical 
margin of anal segments pale; basal segment little longer than hind 
coxae, gradually dilated apically, acutely carinate laterally from spiracles 
to apex with basal fovea deep and apically nearly closed, but discal sulcus 
and carinae evanescent; second alutaceous and transverse ; venter varie- 
gated with stramineous and infuscate. Legs normal, red; hind ones with 
tarsi, apices of femora and the tibiae black, the last broadly white- 
banded before their base. Wings with no areolet; stigma infuscate, 
radix and tegulae whitish; nervellus subopposite. Length, 8 mm. 9 
only. 
This species is superficially like JZ. filzcornis but with the clypeus api- 
cally emarginate, base of hind tibiae black, etc. 
It ranges over north-west Europe and is by no means uncommon with 
us, probably more beneficial than has hitherto been suspected in destroy- 
ing the goosebery sawfly. It has been found at Govilon in Monmouth 
and bred at Nunton in Wilts “from Wemazus ribesid” (Marshall coll.), Isle 
of Man in 1869 (F. Walker), found at Holgate near York in 1881 (Wil- 
son), Norwich (Bridgman), bred in south Devon from Mema/us ribesid on 
27th August (Bignell). I have examples from Greenings in June, 1871 
(Saunders), and Shere in Surrey (Capron); Brandon in Suffolk early in 
June, 1910 (Elliott); and have occasionally swept it in woods and 
marshes at Tuddenham at the end of August, Wangford in the middle of 
that month and at Herringswell, also in Suffolk, early in July; and both 
sexes have turned up in Denny Wood, in the New Forest, in the middle 
of June. I have seen a female bred from Cladius pectinicornis on 12th 
September, 1910, at Herne Hill, near London, by Stenton. 
32. furax, Holmgr. 
Mesoleius furax, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1855, p. 136; Joc. cit. 1876, p. 34; 
Voll. Pinac. pl. xxiii, fig. 5, ?. 
Head slightly constricted posteriorly; mouth, clypeus, apices of cheeks 
and sometimes facial markings, pale stramineous; clypeal conformation 
as in the last species. Antennae black. ‘Thorax with a stramineous dot 
before radices; sternum, meso- and meta-pleurae red; notauli evanescent; 
mesopleurae somewhat shining, very finely alutaceous below and hardly 
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