Mesoletus | BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 165 

34. formosus, Grav. 
Tryphon formosus, Gr. I. E. ii. 185; Ste. Ill. M. vii. 242, ¢ ?. Mesoletus for- 
mosus, Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Hand]. 1855, p.160; Gir. Ann Soc. Fr. 1871, p. 400; 
Brisch. Schr. Nat. Ges. Danz. 1878, p. 82; Thoms. O. E. xii. 1262; xix. 2074, ¢ ¢. 
M. lepidus, Gir. Ann. Soc. Fr. 1871, p. 401, ¢?. 
A black species with the mouth, the apically subangulated clypeus, 
hamate mesonotal marks, scutellum, margins of abdominal segments 
somewhat broadly, and the venter whitish; the mesonotum clear red ; 
legs fulvous excepting only the whitish hind tibiae which are apically, 
like their tarsi, black. Length, 6—8 mm. 
This species differs from J/. vartegatus in having the body less stout 
and the clypeus neither apically emarginate nor its lateral foveae deeply 
impressed. It is too closely allied to JZ. opficus to need a detailed 
description: therefrom it may be known by the subdistinct notauli, 
hardly elevated thoracic costae, fulvous mesonotum, entirely whitish scu- 
tellum with centre of postscutellum concolorous, by the black 2 sternum, 
the paler legs, the simply angulated centre of the clypeus, the more 
broadly white segmental margins and indistinct petiolar sulcus; the g 
has the face with the cheeks broadly, the frontal orbits and mesosternum 
white, with the last laterally black above. 
It occurs in northern and central Europe in May, and is said by Holm- 
gren to frequent oaks in Sweden. Giraud recorded it in 1877 from 
Blennocampa melanocephala, Selandria (B.) lineolata (bipunctafa, Klug) and 
Periclista pubescens ; Dalla Torre adds Dineura verna and Gaulle Croesus 
latipes (cf. Giraud Ann. Soc. Fr. 1871, p. 400 and Fitch, Entom. 1879, 
p- 115); Brischke raised it from larvae of both Mematus and Selandria. 
With us it is distinctly uncommon and it was mixed by Desvignes and 
Marshall with JZ. variegatus ; Stephens says he took it near London, but 
all his specimens are misnamed. I have seen examples captured by 
Richardson at Moreton near Weymouth on 23rd May, 1892, to which 
month it seems confined in Britain; and have both sexes taken or bred 
by Miss Chawner in the New Forest, a male found by Bignell in the 
Bickleigh Woods on roth May, 1897, and another in Capron’s Surrey 
collection. Marshall thought a male, he took at Botusfleming in Corn- 
wall during April, 1891, was a form of J/. cognafus, Brisch. 
35. caninae, Bridg. 
Mesoleius caninae, Bridg. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1886, p. 363, ¢ ?. 
A black species, with the mouth and scutellum fulvo-flavescent. Head 
finely reticulate, transverse and posteriorly suboblique ; clypeus discreted, 
apically truncate, centrally impressed, and, like the mandibles, rufescent- 
flavous. Antennae as long as the body. Thorax short and _ stout; 
mesonotum subnitidulous, finely and somewhat closely punctate, with dis- 
tinct notauli; mesopleurae glabrous and shining; metathorax discally 
short with areola distinct and apically strongly carinate; petiolar area 
large, nitidulous and finely reticulate. Scutellum and postscutellum 
rufescent-flavous. Abdomen short, dull, reticulate and as broad as thorax, 
about thrice length of second segment’s apical breadth; segments trans- 
verse with the two basal of @ apically, and the apical ones of 9, pale- 
margined ; basal segment explanate throughout, laterally sinuate and a 
