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CONTEIBUTIONS TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OP THE 

 BRITISH BRACONID^. No. 2.— MACROCENTRID^, 

 WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES. 



By G. T. Lyle, F.E.S. 



(Concluded from p. 262.) 



M. collaris (Spin.).* — Appears to be fairly common and 

 generally distributed. Is easily distinguished from its near 

 relatives by the second abcissa of the radius being much shorter 

 than the first intercubital nervure. The terebra is the length of 

 the abdomen. In eight females which I have examined I find 

 the antennse to have 32-33 joints, and two males have each 37 

 joints. 



I have not seen the original description, having identifi.ed 

 my specimens from the writings of Wesmael and Marshall. 



Zele (Curtis). 



Large insects ; in fact, Z. testaceator is probably our largest 

 British braconid. Solitary parasites of the larvae of Lepidoptera. 



The testaceous species bear a superficial resemblance to 

 insects of the genera Ophion and Paniscus among the Ichneu- 

 mons, and also to some of the Meteori ; from the latter they 

 may easily be distinguished by the sessile abdomen and by the 

 neuration of the fore wings (see Entom. xlvii. 76, plate I. fig. 1). 



These parasites leave their hosts when the latter are full-fed, 

 so that in all the instances recorded their cocoons have been 

 found underground within the cocoons or pupal chambers of the 

 hosts. 



When emerging from the cocoon the imago removes a cap 

 from one end, but not so neatly as with the Meteori. 



(6) 1. Radial areolet of the hind wings not geminated 



by a transverse nervure. 



(5) 2. Large species expanding 17-22 mm. 



(4) 3. Wings hyaline or yellowish hyaline, terebra sur- 

 passing the apex of the abdomen 1. testaceator, Curtis. 



(3) 4. Wings somewhat clouded, terebra not surpassing 



the apex of the abdomen . 2. infiimator, sp. nov. 



(2) 5. Smaller species expanding 12-14 mm. 



3. chloropthalma, Nees. 



(1) 6. Radial areolet of hind wings geminated 



{Homolobus, 'Foxstev). 



(8) 7. Colour rufo-testaceous . . 4. geminator, nom. nov. 



(7) 8. Colour nigrescent ... 5. discolor, Wesm. 



Z. testaceator (Curtis). — Four records only can I find of the 

 breeding of this species, and in every case from the larva of a 

 Noctiia. I have never bred or captured it myself, the only 



■''- Spinola, Ins. Lig. ii, p. 140. 



