THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Vou. XVI.) MARCH, 1888. [No. 288. 
NOTES ON THE GENUS HEMIMACHUS, Ratz. 
By Joun B. Bripeman. 
Tuts genus, which was separated from Hemiteles by Ratzeburg 
(Ichn. d. Forst. iii., 157), has in reality no right to a separate 
existence, as the insects of which it is composed are only the 
males of Pezomachus. It is an extremely difficult group, from 
the imperfectness of the older original descriptions. I shall 
in this paper consider the species quoted in Mr. Marshall’s 
‘ Catalogue’ of British Ichneumons. 
The first is H. palpator, Gr., which is given as the male 
of P. truz, Foerst. There is little doubt that under the heading 
of Hemiteles palpator several male Pezomachi are mixed ; 
Ratzeburg says (J. c.) that the male which he describes as Hemi- 
machus fasciatus is probably var. 1 of H. palpator, Gr., male; it 
certainly agrees fairly with the description, which is only as to 
colour, but after this short description he says, “‘ Cetera sicut in 
maribus plurimis genuinis,” showing that they vary. The next 
species which Ratzeburg describes (H. pezomachorum) he says is 
nearly allied to H. palpator, Gr.; he also describes another 
species, under the name of H. variabilis, of which Hr. Brischke, 
says (Schrift. d. nat. Ges. in Danzig, 1876) is Pezomachus 
cursitans, male = variabilis, Ratz., = palpator, Gr.. Unfor- 
tunately, although Ratzeburg gives a good description of the 
colour, he gives none of the structure, or even says of it, as he 
does of the other two species mentioned, that it is ike H. pal- 
pator, Gr., but he gives Hr. Brischke as the authority, he having 
bred the two varieties described from Psyche cases. Ratzeburg 
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