British Bracoindce. 231 



5. MicropUtis tristis, Nees. 

 Microgastcr tristis, Nees, Mon., i., 168, <? ? , where 



" abdomine toto rufo "is an evident misprint for 



"totouigro" (nottlie vars.); Wesm., Noiiv. Mem. 



Ac. Briix., 1837, p. 39 (not the var.) ; Euthe, 



BerL ent. Zeit., 1860, p. 138, ^ ? . 

 Deep black ; palpi fuscous ; tibi«, fore femora at the apex, and 

 anterior tarsi at the base, obscurely rufous ; posterior tibiiT3 often 

 black, except the base and apex. Wings fuscous, with an obsolete 

 pale streak across the middle; squamulaj black, nervures and 

 stigma fuscous, the latter determinately yellow at the inner angle. 

 Antennae ? i the length of the body, filiform ; those of the ^ 

 rather longer than the body, setaceous. Head and mesothorax 

 punctulate, the latter rather shining, especially towards the hind 

 margin ; scutellum smooth and shining. Metathorax rugulose, 

 subreticulated, cariuulated. Abdomen smooth and shining, only 

 the 1st segment with a few minute exarations or scratches, a little 

 longer than its mean breadth, with a shallow basal impression, and 

 slightly widened from the base to the apes, which is broadly 

 rounded. Terebra very short. (? J. Length, 1^ — 1| ; wings, 

 3—3^ Hn. 

 Var. S' • Stigma imicolorous. Length, 1^ lin. 



This species strongl}^ resembles adnnca, Euthe, but the 

 1st segment is shorter, and the antenna of the ? longer. 

 Nees and Euthe describe the palpi as testaceo-rufous, 

 black at the base ; "Wesmael, as dull testaceous ; those 

 of the English specimens are uniformly dusky. The 

 var. <? differs only in size and the colour of the stigma, 

 but may still prove to be a distinct species : the speci- 

 men is in Fitch's collection, labelled '' luctuosus, Hal."; 

 it belongs, however, to the present genus. 



Of the genuine tristis, Nees, Bignell has bred twenty 

 from Dianthcecia cucvhali, Fues. ; their pupa-state lasted 

 from Sept. 14th to May 22nd. In Euthe's collection is 

 a specimen from Plusia numeta, Fab. Brischke reared 

 it from Dianthcecia cajpsincola. Hub., Cucullia verhasci, 

 L., C. argentca, Hufn., and C. artemisice, Hufn. Besides 

 these, Giraud records it as bred from I'lusia illustris, 

 Fab., by Bellier de la Chavignerie, and from Plusia 

 consona. Fab., by himself. The cocoons are reddish 

 brown or tan-coloured (sometimes greenish, according to 

 Brischke) and not wrinkled, generally adherent to each 

 other ; they exactly resemble those of spectahilis, Hal. 



