THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



Ill 



PLATYDERUS. 

 P. ruficollis is a somewhat local insect, 

 with a very flattened appearance, red thorax, 

 and pitchy elytra, with sides nearly parallel ; 

 the thorax has a deep central furrow, with 

 shorter furrow on each side at the base. 



BRITISH WINGED INSECTS. 



By S. L. MosLEY. 

 [Continued from page 67.) 



Order VI. HYMENOPTERA. 



The Hymenoptera is divided into two 

 divisions or sub-orders called Terebrantia 

 and AcuLEATA. 



The Terebrantia comprises the following 

 sections (called families by some) : — 



1. Tenthredinid^ (Sawflies). — Repre- 

 sentatives of this section are well known by 

 lepidopterists. In the larva state they nearly 

 approach to the Lepidoptera and spin co- 

 coons in a similar manner. The pupae have 

 the limbs enclosed in separate cases, but 

 this is so in some of the last section of 

 Lepidoptera. The gooseberry grub is a well- 

 known example of the present section. 



2. SiRiciD^. — The larvae of these insects 

 live by boring timber, chiefly pine and fir. 

 Sirex gigas is the largest Hymenopterous 

 insect we have; it is black and yellow, and 

 the female has a strong ovipositor. 5. 

 jiwenc^is is steel blue and seems to be rarer. 

 These are the only two British species. 



3. CvNiPiDiE (gall-flies ). — These insects 

 produce abnormal growths on plants called 

 galls. A large number attack the oak, the 

 hard, marble-like galls of Cyne^s Kollei'i 

 being a striking example. All galls, how- 

 ever, are not produced by Cynipidae ; some 

 dipterous insects produce galls. There are 

 a very large number of species in Britain. 



4. EvANiiD^, — A few small insects of 

 very peculiar structure, parasitic on cock- 

 roaches. 



5. IcHNEUMONiD^. — By far the largest 

 section of the order, the majority of the 

 species being small or minute. The females 

 of most of the species have an ovipositor, 

 sometimes very long, and many of the larvae 

 are parasitic upon the larvae of Lepidoptera 

 and other insects. 



6. CHALCIDID.E. — These insects are very 

 minute, generally bright metallic, and in 

 their early stages are also parasitic upon 

 the larvae of lepidoptera and other insects. 

 Some are so small as to pass their metamor- 

 phosis in the eggs of other insects. 



7. PROCTOTRUPiDiE. — Another group of 

 minute insects, having the wings almost or 

 completely destitute of veins. Sometimes 

 the wings are of very peculiar structure. 



8. Chrysidid^. — These insects are of 

 larger size, some being as large as a small 

 bee. They are metallic, generally bright 

 red and green or blue, and are called "ruby- 

 tailed flies." They are parasitic on the 

 nests of bees. 



2. ACULEATA. 

 In the Aculeate Hymenoptera many of 

 the species construct social communities 

 consisting of males, females, and workers, 

 or barren, undeveloped females. The fol- 

 lowing sections are comprised : — 



1. Heterogyna. — This section is com- 

 posed of the ants, both social and solitary, 

 and are easily recognised by entomologists, 



2. Fossores. — This is perhaps one of 

 the most interesting sections of the order, 

 and is very extensive. It contains the sand 

 wasps and mason wasps, which construct 

 mud nests upon stone walls and deposit living 

 insects in them for the support of the future 

 larvae ; others bore in sand banks, or into 

 trees or wood. 



3. Diploptera. — These are the true 

 wasps, divided into solitary and social 



