MESOLEIUS. 329 



This genus contains a very great number of species, as brought 

 together by Holmgren in 1855 and 1876 ; but Forster has sub- 

 divided it into a great many subgenera, at least some of which are 

 of none too stable formation. Excluding all the species placed 

 apart in these latter divisions, we still know some 225 species of 

 Mesoleius, which is exclusively parasitic upon the larvae of TEN- 

 TiiREDiNiBjE ; and this circumstance accounts for the paucity of 

 representatives of tho genus in India, though doubtless at least a 

 few more will occur when the hill-stations are more fully worked. 



234. Mesoleius wahlbergi, Holmg. 



Mesoleius icahlbergii, Holmgren, Sv. Ak. Handl. 1876, p. 13 (d)- 



J . A black species, with the head and hind tibiae partly 

 stramineous and most of the legs red. Head not narrowed behind 

 the eyes ; vertex deeply emarginate ; mouth, clypeus, the sub- 

 buccate cheeks and the broad face, flavidous. Antenna? ferru- 

 ginous red beneath. Thorax stout, 

 anteriorly subelevated ; mesonotum 

 shining, with the deeply impressed 

 notauli extending to its disc and a 

 flavidous callosity before the radices ; 

 mesopleurae closely punctate below, 

 strongly nitidulous and sparsely 

 punctate above ; metathorax short, 

 finely alutaceo-rugose and not verv 



1 / ft \ shining, with the apically dilated 



| / \M \ areola and the semicircular petiolar 



area strongly circumcarinate. Scu- 

 tellum black. Abdomen entirely 

 Fig. 92. black, with the basal segment a 



Mesoleius wahlbergi, Holmg. little longer than the hind coxae, 

 gradually dilated apically, laterally 



acutely margined throughout, with the discal sulcus and carinae 

 weak; second segment subcoriaceous ; venter black. Leys red, 

 with the anterior coxa? and trochanters flavous : hind ones stout 

 and not short, with the coxae and the stout tarsi black, their 

 trochanters flavescent and tibiae blackish, basally pale. Wings 

 hyaline, with the stigma infuscate testaceous, radix and tegulae 

 pale stramineous ; areolet wanting ; nervellus subopposite and 

 intercepted nearly in its centre. 

 Length 7 millim. 



KASHHIB, 6000 ft., v. 01 (Col. Nurse). LAPLA.KD. 

 Type in the Stockholm Museum. 



This species does not appear to have been referred to since 

 originally recorded as rare in central Lapland, where it was dis- 

 covered by Prof. P. F. Wahlberg. I think that no doubt can 

 remain that the Kashmir specimen, captured by Col. Nurse, is 

 conspecific. The sole differences are that the antennae, which are 



