TENTHEEDO ATRA. 



13. TENTHREDO ATRA. 

 PI. VIII, fig. 5. PI. XVI, fig. 3, Saw. 



Tenthredo atra, Lin., F. Sv., 1554 ; S. N., ed. xii, 924, 26 ; Geof., 

 Ins., ii, 283, 24 ; Pz., P. G., 52, t. 7, 

 65, t. 7 ; Fab., E. S., ii, 117, 49 ; S. P., 

 34, 26; Lep., Mon., 80, 237; Spin., 

 Ins. Lig., i, 57; King, Berl. Mag., 

 viii, 207, 155 ; Lep., Mon., 80, 237 ; 

 Htg., Blattw., 306, 25; Evers., Bull. 

 Mosc., xx, 47, 12 ; Thorns., Opus., 303, 

 4 ; Hym. Scand., i, 274, 7 (in part) ; 

 Andre, Species, i, 440 ; Cat., 55,* 2. 

 fuscipes, Gmel., S. N., v, 2667. 



Allanlus ater, Ste., 111., vii, 68, 33. 



Black ; mouth white, legs reddish, apex of posterior tibiae and tarsi 

 black. Wings hyaline, apex of costa reddish ; stigma black ; tegulse 

 reddish. 



The $ has abdomen generally 2 5 segments broadly red, and the 

 femora lined with black. 



Length 5 6 lines. 



Atra bears a very considerable resemblance to dispar 

 from the darker varieties of which it is not always 

 easy to separate; Generally it may be distinguished 

 from dispar by the absence of white on the pronotum 

 and over the posterior coxse, the wider, if not so deep, 

 incision in the clypeus, and the apex of the posterior 

 tibiae not being so largely marked with black. The 3 

 has only the posterior femora lined with black, while 

 that of dispar has the tibiae also marked with black. 



The imago is stated by Hudow (Stett., Ent. Zeit., 

 xxxii, 386) to lay its eggs in the thick midrib of the 

 leaves of the alder, and Dours (Cat. Syn., 23) says 

 that the larva lives on the gooseberry and willow, but 

 this is probably merely a conjecture on his part. 



It is stated also by Andre to feed on the alder 

 during July and August. He describes it as having 

 the body obscure green marked with black in the folds 

 of the skin, and there are also two rows of whitish 

 tubercles on each segment ; the back is marked with 

 splashes of a more obscure green, the sides and the 



