94 TENTHREDO OBSOLETA. 



on the underside of the leaf, from which it drops to 

 the ground on the slightest approach of danger ; and 

 it ejects from the mouth a dirty brownish liquid when 

 alarmed. It eats irregular holes in the centre of the 

 leaves, and more rarely along the sides. Its head is 

 deep shining black ; mouth parts pale ; upper parts of 

 the body deep black ; the lower part of the sides pale, 

 spotted irregularly with brown. Legs white, claws 

 black. The skin is covered with small white tubercles, 

 each ending in a short hair. When full fed it becomes 

 olive green. It pupates in the earth, forming a cocoon 

 of the earth. Length 12 lines. 



The perfect insect is found everywhere, from Orkney 

 southwards, during June and July on the flowers of 

 Compositce, Ranunculus, &c. It is very carnivorous. 



It abounds from Scandinavia to Italy and the Ural 

 Mountains. 



18. TENTHREDO OBSOLETA. 



Tenthredo obsoleta, Klug, Berl. Mag., viii, 192, 135; Htg., 

 Blattw., 310, 44 ; Thorns., Hym. Scand., 

 i, 272, 4; Cam., Fauna, 13, 12; Evers., 

 Bull. Mosc., xx, 52, 27 (??); Andre, 

 Species, i, 454, Cat., 58,* 46. 



Black ; clypeus, labrum, two spots above antennae, tegulse, edge of 

 pronotum, two lines on pleurae, scutellum, two small marks behind it, 

 the abdomen beneath and at the sides greenish- white. Legs greenish- 

 white ; a line on coxae, a line over the femora, tibiae and tarsi black ; the 

 anterior tarsi have only the apices of the joints black. Antennae not 

 much longer than the head and thorax ; vertex densely covered with long 

 hairs ; mandibles piceous -black. Wings sub-hyaline, scarcely darkened 

 at the apex ; costa and stigma black, the former being pale at the ex- 

 treme base ; the latter paler on the lower side. 



The $ I have not seen, but it is stated by Thomson to be similarly 

 marked to the female. 



Length 5 lines. 



Very like mesomela, but differs in having the pleurae 

 and sternum black, except one or two green splashes 

 on the former ; antennae much shorter and thicker at 

 the apex, the last joint being shorter in proportion to 

 the eighth ; wings are clearer and scarcely darker at 

 the apex than at the base ; the whole insect, too, is 



