KNOWLEDGE OF THE BRITISH BRACONIDiE. 123 



be more correct to say that the segment is centrally narrowly 

 testaceous. 



As the male does not appear to have been noticed before, I 

 subjoin the following description from ten specimens in my 

 collection : — 



Mesothorax testaceous, or fuscous, with the disc testaceous, 

 scutellum testaceous, metathorax black (fuscous in pale specimens), 

 rugose ; abdomen piceous with the second segment and base of the 

 third testaceous, the second often fuscous at the sides, petiole basally 

 pale, first segment striated, tracheal groves obsolete, tubercles 

 apparent ; legs testaceous, all the tarsi fuscous, posterior coxae and 

 femora at apex fuscous, posterior tibse fuscous, basally pale, all the 

 claws dark ; head scarcely as wide as the thorax, occiput fuscous (in 

 pale specimens testaceous), orbits, clypeus, and cheeks testaceous, face 

 fuscous, palpi pale, antennae setaceous, slightly longer than the body, 

 fuscous, 30-33-jointed, usually 32 ; wings infumated, stigma a,nd 

 nervures fuscous, recurrent nervure interstitial or subinterstitial, 

 second cubital areolet slightly narrowed towards the radius ; length 

 4| mm. to 6 mm., expands 8 mm. to 10 mm. 



In the female the antennae are about equal in length to the 

 body, 30-33 jointed. 



Var. female. First abdominal segment dark fulvous without 

 noticeable dark triangular patches at the sides = M. decoloratus 

 (Ruthe). 



A solitary parasite of larvae of Lepidoptera ; it varies 

 greatly in size. I have a female, bred from a larva of 

 Brachionycha (Asteroscopus) sphinx, June 28th, 1911, which 

 expands no less than 11|^ mm. 



The cocoon is pendulous, shining, and of a rather rich brown 

 colour, though not nearly so dark as that of M. versicolor. Two 

 specimens which I must refer to this species, bred from larvae of 

 Nola cuculatella, made cocoons of a paler colour, similar to those 

 of M. pulchricornis. From six to fourteen days in the cocoon. 

 Among other dates I have bred it from larvae of Macrothylacia 

 ruhi, August 1st, 1911 ; Nola cuculatella, June 21st, 1911 ; 

 Anartamyrtilli, August 5th, 1911 ; Ematurga atomaria, July 30th, 

 1911; Cheimatobia brmnata, June 19th to 27th, 1911, and Agrotis 

 agathina (Sand banks, Poole), June 23rd to 30th, 1913. 



From a single cocoon of this species I bred on August 17th, 

 1911, some thirty or forty small hyperparasites. Dr. R. C. L. 

 Perkins, to whom I submitted them, has been most kind in 

 working them out, and says {in litt. January 15th, 1914) : " The 

 very minute species is certainly Closterocerus (Westwood), but 

 the wings are not marked in black as in all described species 

 known to me. It is quite likely that species with similar wings 

 have been wrongly described in Entedon or Eidophus, as the 

 marked wings have been considered a generic character. The 

 antenna is that of a true Closterocerus," 



