ichneumon flies

pl. [ICHNEUMON IDE.] Ich-neu-mon-i-dæ, s. pl. [Latin ichneumon; fem. pl. adj. suff. -idæ.] Entom.: Ichneumon-lies, cuckoo-flies: a family of Hymenopterous Insects, sub-tribe Pupivora of Latreille, now often called Entomophaga. Once made to contain the whole of that tribe, it is now limited to species which have straight antenne, and the abdomen attached to the extremity of the metathorax. Like other entomophaga, they lay their eggs in the bodies or eggs of other insects; these hatching produce larvæ which devour the egg or the animal, whether immature or mature, in which they were developed. When a caterpillar is attacked, the larve of the ichneumon feed on its fat, avoiding all destruction of the alimentary canal; the animal is sickly, but is able to go into the chrysalis state; instead, however, of a lepidopterous insect emerging, there come forth multitudes of small ichneumons. Myriads of chrysalides are thus destroyed. Ich-neu-mon-I-dan, a. & s. [Mod. Lat. ichneu monid(a); -an .] A. As adj.: Cla ed under or in any way connected with the Ichneumon ide (q. v.). B. As substantive: Entom.: One of the Ichneumon ide. Ich-neu-mon-1-dēş, s. pl . [Latin ichneumon; masc. or fem. pl. adj. suff. -ides.] Entom.: The name given by Swains on to one of the five primary tribes into which he divides the Hymenoptera. It is nearly identical with Latreille's Pupivora (q. v.), now often called Entomophaga (q. v.). Ich-nite, s . [Gr. ichnos a track, a footprint; -ite ( Min .) (q. v.).] Palcont .: A fo il footprint. Ichnite occurs much more frequently in compos, than as a sep a rate word-e. g., ornithichnite the fo il footprint of a bird; tetrapod ichnite the fo il footprint of a saurian or batrachian. [CHEIRTOHERIUM.] Ich-no-car-pus, s . [Gr. ichnos a trace, a ves tige, and karpos =fruit.] Bot.: A genus of Apocynacese, tribe Wrighteæ. Ich no carpus frutescens is sometimes used in India as a substitute for sarsaparilla. Ich-no-grăph, s. [Gr. ichnos=a footstep, and graphoto write, to draw.] Drawing: A ground-plan; an orthograph is a front elevation, a scenograph a general view. Ich-no-graphic, Ich-no-graph-ic-al, adj . [Eng. ich no graph ; -ic , -ical .] Of or pertaining to ichnography; describing or forming a ground plan. "Penault has a isted the text with a figure or ich no graphical plot." -Evelyn : Architecture, Ich-nog-ra-phỹ, s . [Eng. ich no graph; -y.] *1. Ord. Lang.: A description of ancient works of art, as statuary, . 2. Arch .: A horizontal section of a building, ., showing its true dimensions according to a geomet ric scale; a ground-plan. "To have a draught of the ground-plot or ichnography of every story in a paper by itself." - Moxon : Mechanical Exercises . Ich-no-lite, s. [Greek ichnos a footprint, and lithos a stone.] Geol. & Palæont .: A stone on which an ichnite or footprint of a fo il animal or bird is impre ed. Ich-no-lith-o-log-ic-al, Ich-no-log-ic-al, a. [Eng. ich no litho log(y), ichnolog (y); -ical .] Pertaining to or connected with ich no lithology or ichnology (q. v.). Ich-no-lith-ol-o-gỹ, s. [ Gr.ichnos a footprint; lithos a stone, and logos a discourse.] The same as ICHNOLOGY (q. v.). Ich-nol-ô-gỹ, s. [Gr. ichnos =a footprint, and logos a discourse.] Geol. & Palæont .: That branch of science which cla ifies and treats of fo il footprints; such phe nomena taken collectively. [FOOTPRINTS.]