222 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [ Mesoleplus 

species. Thorax black with elongate and somewhat deeply impressed 
notauli, and flavous callosities before radices; metathorax centrally 
strongly bicarinate from its basal impression to near apex; lateral areae 
indicated ; spiracles circular. Abdomen black with segments two to four 
entirely and part of fifth red, the remainder broadly red-margined ; basal 
segment with strong discal carinae extending to centre of the distinctly 
margined and apically subexplanate postpetiole. Legs coloured asin the 
last species, but with apices of hind tibiae and their tarsi nigrescent and 
the hind femora subincrassate. Wings hyaline with the stigma piceous, 
areolet triangular and subsessile; fenestrae discreted only by a dot; ner- 
vellus intercepted at its centre. Length, 13 mm. 
The largest and stoutest species of the group with distinct metanotal 
and petiolar carinae, the stigma piceous, hind tibiae apically nigrescent 
and areolet subsessile. 
It is known from Sweden and Bavaria, and is certainly very rare in 
Britain, whence it has not hitherto been recorded. I possess two females, 
agreeing exactly with Pfankuch’s description of Gravenhorst’s typical 
male; they were swept from Jong rank herbage in a boggy spot in Rock- 
land Broad, Norfolk, by myself on 10th June, 1901, and at Braemar on 
1gth July, 1907, by Mr. Ernest A. Elliott. 
6. fugax, Grav. 
Mesoleptus fugax, Gr. I. E. ii. 56; Ste. Ill. M. vii. 220; Fonsc. Ann. Soc. Fr. 
1849, p.213, ¢; Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1855, p.104; Voll. Pinac. pl. xavi, 
fig. 8; Brisch. Schr. Nat. Ges. Danz. 1878, p.67, 2 ¢. Hadrodaciylus fugax, 
Thoms. O. E. ix. 921 et xix. 1980, ¢ ¢. 
A stout, pubescent and black species. Head large, not at all con- 
stricted posteriorly, with the mouth and a more or less broad apical 
stramineous facial mark on either side; frons strongly punctate ; clypeus 
not discreted ; lower mandibular tooth the longer. Antennae filiform, 
subattenuate towards their apices, black with usually only the scape 
flavous-marked beneath. ‘Thorax stout, with pleurae punctate; mesono- 
tum nitidulous, obsoletely punctate and evenly rounded throughout, with 
no notauli; metathorax subelongately pubescent. with its apical margin 
sinuate and elevated; metanotum very smooth with no trace of areae. 
Scutellum black. Abdomen shining, punctulate and black, more or less 
broadly rufescent, but usually with only incisures of the second to fourth 
segments red and venter concolorous; basal segment very smooth, 
nitidulous, convex and not very slender. Legs red with coxae, and 
usually base of trochanters, black; tibiae testaceous, with hind ones 
apically hardly subinfuscate. Radix and tegulae stramineous; stigma 
testaceous ; areolet small, petiolate and irregularly triangular ; nervellus 
antefurcal, intercepted below its centre. Length, g—11 mm. 
A stout species, at once known by its basally black face which is often 
centrally concolorous, antefurcal nervellus and especially by the evenly 
rounded and nitidulous mesonotum and postpetiole. 
It ranges through western Europe from Sweden to France ; but is cer- 
tainly uncommon with us, though extending at least from the Isle of 
Wight to Yorkshire. Hitherto it has only been recorded from Norfolk 
by Stephens, and from Norwich and Felthorpe there by Bridgman; but 
Miss Chawner has sent it me from the New Forest, Thornley from Cad- 
ney in Lincs.; Elliott took a male on roth July, 1900, at Askrigg in 
