286 ICHNEUMONIDJ!. 



203. Horaocidus dimidiatus. Schr. 



Ichneumon dimidiatus, Schrank, Fauna Boica, ii, p. 293 ; Graven- 



horst, Ichn. Eur. iii, 1829, p. 950 (rf). 

 liassus pictus, Gravenhorst, op. cit. p. 336 (J $); Holmgren, Sv. 



Ak. Handl. 1855, p. 361 ($). 

 Itasstts dimidiatus, Holmgren, op. elf. p. 363 (cJ). 

 Bnssus jrfanus, Uesvignes, Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud. 1862, p. 220 



(<?$) 



Homoporus picitts, Thomson, Opusc. Ent. xiv, 1890, p. loll (J $ ) 

 Homoporus dimidiatus, Morley, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 190.5, p. 428 



Head almost broader than thorax, somewhat constricted poste- 

 riorly, vertex somewhat angularly emarginate ; frons nitidulous 

 and not sulcate, though impressed above scrobes ; face subdilated 

 apically, with epistoma hardly elevated, of $ sometimes white- 

 marked ; <5 with face and cheeks broadly, and mouth, pale ; 

 clypeus deplanate, subpunctate, with the apex obviously emar- 

 ginate centrally and the sides foveolate; cheeks almost longer 

 than base of the often pale mandibles; palpi infuscate or whitish. 

 Antennas black throughout in $ , pale beneath in d ; their apices 

 subattenuate and the flagellum, of about twenty-two joints, reach- 

 ing beyond the thorax. Thorax black, somewhat shining and 

 very finely punctate ; a large subhamate humeral mark white, 

 $ also with a large pronotal mark, mesosternum apically, and 

 pleural lines, white ; mesosternum densely and very finely punc- 

 tate, with speculum not smooth ; metathorax finely punctate, 

 apically subrugose, with all arese wanting, and lateral cost.-e sub- 

 obsolete. Scutellum apically and laterally lined with white, rarely 

 immaculate in c?- Abdomen black, half as long again as thorax, 

 apically smooth and hardly compressed ; first segment short, 

 basallv excavate and coarsely punctate, with no carinae, postpetiole 

 transverse, spiracles not prominent; second segment subtrans verse, 

 sparsely punctate and, between the transversely oval thyridii, 

 densely striolate ; third in J with a more or Jess conspicuous 

 pale fascia. Leys somewhat stout and red, with tlie anterior pairs 

 basally paler in J and sometimes black-marked in $ ; hind tarsi 

 and tibiae black, the latter sparsely setiferous externally and white 

 nearly to their centre internally in $ , or mainly testaceous in 

 cJ . which also often lias an infuscate band before, though never 

 at, the base. Wings hyaline, stigma infuscate and not broad, 

 basally pale; areolet irregular and subsessile ; nervellus oblique, 

 intercepted far below its centre. 



Length 5-6 millim. 



SIKKIM : Darjiling, 6000 ft., ix. 09 (E. Brunelti). EUROPE. 



This is an abundant and widely distributed species in Western 

 Europe. It is found upon flowers throughout the summer and, 

 though we know nothing of its economy, we may suspect it of 

 attacking Syrphid flies, since I took a female investigating a colony 

 of Aphis hieracii, in June 19U3. 1 have seen but a single female 

 from India. 



