An Ichneumonid New to Science

PIMPLA

BURTONI,

MORL.

201

AN ICHNEUMOIND NEW TO SCIENCE.

AN ICHNEUMONID NEW TO

BY CLAUDE MORLEY, F . E . S . , F . G . S . ,

SCIENCE. F.Z.S.

PIMPIA BURTONI, sp. nov.

A STOUT, punctate and brick-red Insect with only head, thorax, terebra, stigma, apices of tarsi and of antennal joints, black. Head transverse, immaculate black with palpi testaceous ; clypeus not apically emarginate. Antennae slender, filiform and brick-red with whole scape and apices of flagellar joints black. Thorax subnitidulous, grey-pilose, finely and closely punctate; notauli obsolete ; spiracles oblong ; areola laterally carinate, base and apex incomplete, and costulse wanting. Scutellum finely punctate. Abdomen brick-red with only anus subinfuscate ; stout, convex and coarsely sculptured to segmental apices ; basal segment broad, strongly bicarinate to near apex ; four central ones transverse, subtuberculate and not laterally emarginate ; 7-8 nitidulous ; terebra black, stout and } of abdominal length. Legs very stout, brick-red with only onychii and apex of fourth joint black ; tarsal claws not basally lobate. Wings utterly hyaline ; stigma black, with both extremities testaceous ; areolet strong and broader than high; nervellus intercepting first recurrent nervure far above its centre. Length: <3 8, $ 12, mm.

Superficially it most closely resembles the Mediterranean P. (Epiurus) ephippium, Brul., but in both sculpture and thoracic colour is quite distinct (Schm. Opusc. lehn, iii, p. 1066); in the British Fauna it is nearest P. (Itopleciis) epeirce, Bign.

This handsome parasite occurs, like P. arundinator, in virgin bogs ; the typical male was taken in an osier-carr by the River Waveney at Hoxne on 7 July, and the genotvpe in the swampy Blythburgh Wood on 23 June, both during 1945 in Suffolk, by my friend Mr. Percival James Burton of Lowestoft, who has most kindly added them to my collection.

A DOMESTIC STOAT.—The other day I had a curious experience of a Stoat, Mustela erminca, L., Coming right into this house ; but I cannot teil what it would have done if left alone here, because it was promptly driven out and eventuallv killed by one of my dogs ; it was young though fully grown. [A somewhat similar occurrence in Peters-street, Ipswich, is recounted at Trans, ii, 198. In both cases, the time of day should have been carefully noted.—Ed.] As I was cutting some long grass at the beginning of July, I disturbed a Cream-spotted Tiger-moth Arctia villica, L., which I had not seen here before ; it lay inert on the ground long enough for me to recognise its markings. Also I think I saw a Garden Warbier Sylvia borin, Bod., here a few weeks ago, but cannot be certain as the Bird was continuously on the move.—CHARLES BUNBURY (Bart.), Naunton Hall; 21 Aug.