106 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Stepkcmus crassicauda, sp. no v. 

 ? . Head coarsely and irregularly rugose, a central longitudinal 

 trans-striate sulcus on occiput ; posterior margin of head simple ; 

 temples finely punctate, prominent and glabrous above ; cheeks as 

 long as scape. Antennae with second and third flagellar joints of 

 equal length and a little longer than first. Neck of pronotum short, 

 with three strong transcarinae ; semiannular finely trans-striate, its 

 posterior margin naiTowly smooth ; mesonotum coarsely punctate ; 

 scutellum smooth, with diffuse and rather fine puncturation ; meso- 

 and metapleuraB alutaceous and dull, with a few punctures, latter 

 separated by a sulcus from the median segment, which is scabriculous 

 and centrally trans-striate. Abdomen with petiole trans-striate, 

 8 mm. long, as is also remainder of abdomen ; apical segments 

 discally emarginate ; terebra 27 mm. long, its sheaths somewhat 

 unusually stout and abruptly pointed, ferrugeous, with a white band 

 before the equally broadly black apex. Hind legs with coxae elon- 

 gately pilose and sparsely transcarinate ; femora smooth and pilose, 

 with two long and very slender teeth ; tibiae constricted in basal 

 third and again beyond middle. Wings slightly infumate, external 

 submedian cell darker and a pale space beyond it. — Black : a white 

 spot on cheeks ; base of flagellum ferruginous ; anterior legs, hind 

 trochanters, constricted part and apex of hind tibiae and the hind 

 tarsi fulvous. 



Length, 26 mm. 



The type in British Museum bears a label " Australia, 1866." 

 only. The co-type, in the same place, is much smaller ; body 

 20^ mm.; abdomen 13 mm.; petiole 6j mm.; terebra 19 mm., 

 it was taken by F. P. Dodd, March 5th, 1903, at Townsville^ 

 Queensland. 



A few scattered notes upon odd species contained in the 

 British Museum may not be without value in adding to the 

 known distribution, etc., of these peculiar and interesting insects. 

 One remarkable fact is that, though well over a hundred species 

 have now been described, Mr, Elliott informs me that nothing 

 w^iatever respecting their ecdyses and economy has yet been 

 definitely ascertained ; here and there one meets instances in 

 which — as in the case of Steplianus comma in fhe last number of 

 the ' Entomologist ' — the insect is said to have been taken upon 

 tree-trunks ; on the stump of a tree ; and, as in the case of the 

 Cuban S. hrunneus, both sexes have been found emerging from 

 holes in wood. I would, both from this circumstance and the 

 fact that in their structure they approach much more closely to 

 the Pimplid Xoridides than any other group of the Ichneumonidse, 

 suggest that they will be found to be true (probably ecktoj 

 parasites of ligniverous Coleo{)tera of the longicorn family 

 Cerambycidfe and their allies. Hecent collecting has been on a 

 much broader scale than during any part of the last century, 

 and we may perhaps— e.xcepting the Neotropical Eegion— -regard 

 our knowledge as sui'Hcieutly full, especially touching th6^ 



