EXETASTES. 245 



broad, with the narrow stigma rufescent ; tegulse of tf flavidous 

 or ferruginous, of piceous ; areolet subsessile ; nervellus inter- 

 cepting far above the centre. 



Length 8-12 millim. 



Among several hundreds of this species which I have bred in, 

 England the variation is surprisingly small. In both sexes the 

 second to fourth hind tarsal joints are normally white, rarely 

 flavous after death, and occasionally with the base of the fifth 

 concolorous ; the extent of sessility of the areolet varies somewhat 

 and it is sometimes subpetiolate ; the nervelet is also of variable 

 length and often obsolete. The c? has the scutellum usually 

 flavous at its apex, sometimes the apical half or the whole 

 scutellum (except its base) is flavous, at others it is entirely 

 black or with two subobsolete flavous spots at its extreme apex ; 

 the c? antennae, which normally bear no central pale band, 

 occasionally exhibit more or less distinct traces of one, and very 

 rarely the band is quite evident ; the mesonotum is laterally 

 flavous in typical examples, but sometimes more or less castaneous, 

 or with this colour reduced to mere dots, rarely entirely wanting ; 

 the mesopleurae, generally in part flavous, are sometimes im- 

 maculate ; the pronotuui is occasionally flavous or bimaculate ; 

 the J abdomen is never quite black, though the extent of the 

 rufescent coloration is very variable ; the femora are very rarely 

 infuscate, almost always pale at their extreme base, which is very 

 rarely quite white. The $ varies but very slightly in having the 

 usually entirelv black abdomen rufescent at 'the thyridii and apical 

 margin in the second segment ; and its intermediate femora are 

 almost always nigrescent towards their base. 



It will, however, be found that the clear red basal hind tarsal 

 joint at once distinguishes this species from all others of its genus, 

 except my new E. tisiplione. 



A detailed description of the larva (first described by me in 

 Ent. Mo. Mag. 1903, p. 163) and cocoon (cf. De Geer, Mem. ii, 

 p. 849, pi. xxix) of this species is given in my "British Ich- 

 neumons" (iii, p. 293), where it is also stated that the host- 

 caterpillar is consumed before attaining the pupal state ; that 

 the parasitic larvae probably evacuate their hosts while the latter 

 are passing the daytime below ground, and there spend the winter, 

 since their cocoons are usually found whilst potatoes are being 

 dug in the autumn. A large percentage of the pupae are des- 

 troyed by mould and the hyperparasitic attacks of the Ophionid 

 Mesocliorus mandibularis, Thorns., and a species of CHALCIDIDJE. 

 The time of emergence is during June and July in Britain. 



In Europe it is an extremely abundant species in gardens 

 throughout the central and northern regions, extending to 

 Lapland ; it has been bred from Mamestra brassicce, Hadena 

 olcracea, Retinia pinicolana and Miana furuncula, and may be 

 frequently observed on umbelliferous flower-heads. The only 

 Oriental example I have seen is a J from West wood's collection, 

 now in the Oxford Museum, which is labelled "India, Boys." 



