British Braconidce. Ill 



8. Sigalphus thoracictis, Cur. 



Sigalplius thoraciciis, Cur., Farm. Ins., 365, 



" Similar in size and form to S. pallipes, but the thorax is of a 

 red colom- : all the legs are bright ochroous, the feet tipped with 

 fuscous : the head was broken off and lost." 



A ? was obtained by Curtis from Sicilian beans. In 

 Ruthe's collection is a specimen of a SignlpJtiis with the 

 thorax red, ticketed " *S'. tJioraciciis.'" Nothing more 

 appears to be known of this species. 



X. CHELONIDES. 

 Clypeiis entire, mouth closed. Maxillary palpi 6-, labial 4- 

 jointed. Occiput margined. Abdomen sessile ; segments 1 — 3 

 united by coalition, without visible sutures, rarely with two super- 

 ficial sutures ; two other segments concealed, or the 4th rarely 

 Bubexsei'ted. Three ciibital areolets; recurrent nervm-c interstitial 

 or rejected ; radial areolet small, remote from the apex of the wing, 

 triangular, rarely ovate or lanceolate ; pobrachial areolet longer, 

 i-arely shoi'ter, than the praebrachial. Terebra concealed or exserted. 



The typical Chdomis and its subdivision Ascogaster 

 form a small natural group, sharply distinguished from 

 every other by their uniformly rugose surface, and the 

 undivided carapace of the abdomen. They have been 

 found, with few modifications of structure, in every 

 quarter of the globe. PluDtcrotonia and Spharopyx are 

 aberrant genera, with few species, having the carapace 

 superficially tripartite. The former genus stands nearer 

 to Sigaliilms ; the latter to Agathis and Microgaster. The 

 Chclonidcs are parasites of Lepidoi^tera, chiefly, as it 

 appears, of the TortricicUe ; less frequently of Coleoptera. 



Table of Genera. 



(•1) 1. Abdomen above showing three segments ; lateral 

 margins not reflexed beneath. 



(8) 2. Abdomen beneath simple, edentate ; inter- 

 mediate tibia:> externally gibbous . . . . i. Piianekotoma. 



(2) 3. Abdomen beneath with two teeth, pointing 



backwards ; intermediate tibiae simple . . iv. Spileropyx. 



(1) 4. Abdomen above not divided into segments ; 

 lateral margins retiexed beneath. 



(6) 5. Eyes hairy ; first cubital areolet not separated 



from the pra}discoidal . . . . . . . . ii. Chelonus. 



(o) 6. Eyes naked ; first cubital areolet separated 



from the pra^discoidal . . . . . . . . iii, Ascogaster. 



