British Braconid(e. 261 



of a Microgaster. The shining body, smooth abdomen, and colour 

 of the legs are the chief peculiarities. Femora black, the 4 anterior 

 flavo-testaceous at the apex ; all the lower trochanters flavo- 

 testaceous ; 4 anterior tibiae flavo-testaceous at both ends, the fore 

 pair inclining to fuscous in the middle ; hind tibitc black, except 

 the base ; tarsi infiiscated, hind pair darkest. Antennae longer 

 than the body, setaceous. Entire abdomen smooth and shining, 

 only the 1st segment minutely aciculated ; segment 2 not half as 

 long as broad, with two marginal channels somewhat converging 

 in front ; 3 about as long as 2. Second cubital areolet triangular, 

 the sides not much incrassated, outer side interrupted as usual near 

 the lower angle. 



I captured this insect in a wood near my house at 

 Nunton, Wilts, in 1884. 



XII. AGATHIDIDES. 



Clypeus entire ; mouth closed. Maxillary palpi 5 — 6, labial 

 3 — 4-jointed. Vertex short ; occiput excavated. Mesothoracic 

 sutm'es distinct. Abdomen sessile ; sutures distinct. Cubital 

 areolets 2 or 3 ; in the latter case the 2d is minute, subquadrate or 

 triangular ; radial areolet minute, narrow, lanceolate, not nearly 

 reaching the apex of the wing ; nervures distinct ; recurrent ner- 

 vure rejected ; pobrachial areolet as long as the praebrachial, or 

 longer. Terebra elongate. 



This subfamily, comprising the rest of Wesmael's 

 Areolaires, is easily known from the Microgasterides by 

 the small radial areolet, scarcely broader, and not much 

 longer, than the stigma, ending long before the apex of 

 the wing. The number of joints in the antenna; is 

 variable in the species and sexes ; the mesothorax tri- 

 lobate ; the 1st abdominal segment with hardly any, or 

 with no, membranaceous edges ; the abdomen longer, 

 and in the ? not strongly carinated beneath ; the valvula 

 ventralis less conspicuous, being flattened against the 

 belly ; and the terebra never very short. 



The Agathididcs are somewhat poorly represented in 

 Europe, and especially in Great Britain ; but in the 

 equatorial regions, where they supplant the Microgasters, 

 the number of species, rivalling the Bracons in size and 

 colours, in incalculable. 



The genus Agathis was founded by Latreille in 1806, 

 to include species which have the face triangularly 

 produced. Those without this peculiarity were arranged 

 by Nees v. Esenbeck, in 1814, under his genus Microdus. 



