PTEROMALIDAE OF N.W. EUROPE 63 



ciformis Westwood and vespertina Haliday) were synonymized by Walker (1834 : 

 149) and this synonymy has been generally accepted. It cannot be confirmed 

 because the syntypes of vespertina have not been identified as such ; but there is 

 little doubt that Walker's conclusion was correct. 

 Only one European species is known. 



Theocolax formiciformis Westwood 

 (Text-fig. 50, $) 



Theocolax formiciformis Westwood, 1832a : 127. 

 Laesthia vespertina Haliday, 1833 : 336, <J 9- 

 Cerocephala formiciformis (Westwood) Walker, 1834 : *49> 6* ?• 

 Cerocephala formiciformis [Westwood] Haliday, 1841-1842 : vi, pi. N, fig. 4, $. 

 Theocolax formiciformis Westwood, 1874 : 138, pi. 25, fig. 11, $. 



Theocolax formiciformis Westwood ; Gahan, 1946 : 356-357, pi. 47, figs. 3, 3"a, pi. 48, figs. 1, ia, 

 ib,c?$. 



Type material. Theocolax formiciformis Westwood. There are several specimens 

 in Westwood's collection but some of them were taken later than 1832 or are other- 

 wise disqualified from being syntypes. I choose as LECTOTYPE a female mounted 

 on a rectangular card and bearing a pink label reading (in Westwood's handwriting) 

 " formiciformis Westw.". 



Laesthia vespertina Haliday. The only Theocolax which I can find in Haliday's 

 collection appears to be a Walker specimen and bears a label possibly in his hand- 

 writing ; it cannot therefore be a syntype of vespertina. Perhaps the missing 

 syntypes may yet turn up because some parts of Haliday's collection have not been 

 thoroughly examined. Haliday's excellent description, however, leaves no doubt 

 that vespertina must be the same as formiciformis ; probably his specimens of 

 vespertina were taken in Ireland (his MS. catalogue of Irish insects lists the species 

 as taken at Holy wood, Co. Down). 



Most individuals of formiciformis are micropterous, the fore wings being reduced 

 to short stubs which are hardly twice as long as the tegulae. In macropterous 

 individuals the fore wing has a tuft of black hairs on the parastigma, and a fuscous 

 cloud just beyond the middle. 



Western and Central Europe (but probably more widely distributed) ; New 

 Zealand. 



Biology. T. formiciformis is well known as a parasite of Anobium species (Col.). 

 It has also been said to attack Leper esinus fraxini (Panz.) but this may be erroneous 

 (see Waterston, 1921 : 12). The adult insect is rarely seen in the daytime, its 

 habits apparently being crepuscular (see, e.g., Haliday, 1833 : 336) ; January-July. 



DIPARINAE 



The first described genus of this group, Dipara Walker, was originally placed by 

 the latter in Miscogasteridae (1833 : 371). Forster (1856 : 46) placed Tricoryphus 

 [the female sex of Dipara] in his family Cleonymidae, whilst (op. cit. : 51) he placed 



