BASSC3. 275 



eleven species, considered by him to have been unknown to 

 'G-ravenhorst, was unacquainted with Holmgren's work. In 1868 

 Forster brought forward his numerous genera and divided Bassus 

 into ten, giving the most meagre and often trivial characters, with 

 no indication of types; these "genera" are unfortunately being 

 nowadays largely adopted, but I think with little justification, 

 .and only those are here made use of that have subsequently been 

 more fully diagnosed by later authors, of whom Thomson, in 

 his most excellent " Ofversigt af arterna inom slagtet Bassus, 

 Fab." (Opuse. Ent. xiv, p. 1458), is certainly the foremost, though 

 Vollenhoven, Briclgman, Brischke, and others have materially 

 assisted. I attempted to revise the whole of the Palaearctic 

 species in 1905 (Trans. Ent. Soc. pp. 419-438). 



The economy of the BASSIDES is extremely interesting, but 

 although many have been bred from Diptera, apparently confining 

 their attacks to the STRPKIDVE, which prey so exposedly and 

 beneficially upon APHIDID.T;, very few details of their habits 

 are at present available. I am not yet satisfied with the accuracy 

 of Yollenhoven's assertion (^Pinac., pi. i) that it is "proved that 

 the larvae of Bassus live also in larvae of other orders " of insects. 



As regards India, we appear to know little at present of this 

 tribe. I can instance but a dozen species. 



Table of Genera. 



1 (2) Basal segments trausimpressed ; hind 



tibite white-banded BASSUS, Fin., p, 275. 



2 (1) Basal segments not impressed. [p. 282. 



3 (4) Face punctate and very distinctly dull . HOMOCIDUS, Mori., 



4 (3) Face glabrous and very distinctly niti- [p. 287. 



dulous ," PROMETHUS, Forst., 



Genus BASSUS, Fin. 



Bassus, Fallen, Specim. liym. 1813 ; Thomson, Opusc. Ent. xiv, 

 1890, p. 1470. 



GENOTYPE, Ichneumon Icetatorius, F. 



;" Head distinctly transverse and compressed ; clypeus discrete ; 

 mandibles basally broad, becoming gradually contracted to their 

 apices, with the upper of the two stout apical teeth bifid. 

 Antennae filiform, Thorax stout and gibbulous, finely punctate 

 and usually with broad and bright hamate humeral marks. 

 Scutellum simply convex, usually entirely pale ; metathorax 

 short and in part carinate. Abdomen sessile and nearly parallel- 

 sided, distinctly deplanate ;' basal segment subquadrate or slightly 

 longer than broad, discally bicarinate ; the last segment of femal* 

 nearly invariably a little compressed laterally, with the terebra 

 hardly or very shortly exserted. Legs of normal length, with ine 

 hind tibiae always centrally white. Wings with no areoiet. 

 Range. Cosmopolitan. 



T2 



