BRACONDIDAE 



559 



absent, or obsolete. Larvae living parasitically in — possibly 

 exceptionally outside — the bodies of larvae or pupae of Insects. 



Fig. 366. — Bracon palpebrator, 

 female. Europe. (After Ratze- 

 burg.) 



Fig. 367. — Diagram of wing of Iclineu- 

 monid (A) and of Braconid (E). 1, 2, 

 3, 4, series of cells extending across 

 the wing ; a, h, divided cell of the 

 Ichneumonid wing, corresponding with 

 a, the undivided cell of the Braconid 



The Braconidae are the Ichneumones, or Ichneumonides, 

 adsciti of the older Hymenopterists. They are extremely similar 

 to the Ichnenmonidae, but the hind body has a much less degree 

 of mobility of its segments, and there are some constant distinc- 

 tions in the wings. Although there is a great deal of difference 

 in the various forms of each of the two families, yet there are 

 two points of distinction easily appreciated ; the series of cells 

 running across the wing (Fig. 367) being only three in the 

 Ichneumonides (Fig. 367, A), but four in the Braconids (Fig. 367, 

 B) ; besides this the space a of the Braconid wing is divided 

 into two (a, b) in the Ichneumonid wing. A glance at these 

 characters enables us at once to separate correctly the thousands 

 of species of the two families. 



The habits of the Braconidae are similar to those of Ichneu- 

 monidae, it being believed that all are parasites. Usually they 

 attack larvae, but they are bred in great numbers from pupae, 

 and even from images of other Insects. Masmosoma is one 

 of the few parasites known to attack ants. As many as 1200 

 specimens of Microgaster have been reared from a single Lepi- 

 dopterous larva. Although such parasitism raises a feeling of 

 repulsion, yet there is reason for supposing that there may be 



