British Braconidce. 115 



Uniformity of structure and colour makes the species 

 difficult to separate by the eye, and still more so to de- 

 scribe. Their nomenclature is in the greatest disorder, 

 so that without types it is often impossible to say what 

 species are intended by authors. The earliest attempt 

 at a monograph of the genus is that by Nees von E sen- 

 beck (Mag. Ges. Berl., 181C, pp. '265 — 274), containing 

 13 species. Dahlbom followed (Sv. Ak. Handl., 1833, 

 pp. 159 — 1G3) with 5, of which only one bears the same 

 name as a species of Nees. In the next year Nees 

 (Mon., i., pp. 288 — 298) republished his 13 species 

 without taking notice of Dahlbom's work. Wesmael 

 (Nouv. Mem. Ac. Brux., 1835, pp. 214—225, and 1837, 

 Suppl. pp. 15G — 163), also unacquainted with Dahlbom's 

 paper, published 12, of which only 6 bear the same 

 names as those of Nees, some of them doubtfully. His 

 descriptions, and those of Nees, are the chief sources of 

 information, although the same species is sometimes 

 given more than once, and in several cases the male is 

 mistaken for the female. In 1867 Eeinhard (Berl. ent. 

 Zeit., pp. 358 — 360) adjusted the synonymy of C. sulcatus, 

 Nees, and eurytlieca, Wesm., with the addition of two 

 new species. And in 1874 Thomson (Opusc. Ent., vi., 

 pp. 563 — 581) published 27 species, 18 with new names. 

 My coadjutor Fitch and myself have been disappointed 

 in our efforts to gain information from this paper. To 

 the above-mentioned works are to be added a few de- 

 scriptions by Herrich-Schaffer (F. CI., cliii, cliv), and 

 Curtis (B. E"., dclxxii). 



Table of Species. 



Males. 

 (16) 1. Abdomen without an apical tissure. 

 (3) 2. Abdomen broadly rufous above, the apex 



and a medial line black .. .. '6. Ji'esiiutelii, Cm: 



(2) 3. Abdomen entuely black, or with 2 yel- 

 lowish basal spots, sometunes con- 

 fluent. 

 (13) 4. Third abscissa of the radius of the fore 

 wing curved, concave exteriorly ; 

 radius of the hind wing (in addition 

 to its basal flexure) curved in the 

 middle. 

 (10) 5. Squamulas black, or blackish. 

 (7) G. Hind tibiic rufous, generally ti^iped with 

 black, but not black or auuulated 

 with darker colour at the base ; 1st 

 joint of the hind tarsi broadly rufous at 

 the base. Length, 2^ lines ; largest sp. 1. iuauUu<,h. 



