AN ABERRANT LASIUS FROM JAPAN. 



133 



of the worker fnli^inosus than the latter is like that of the Euro- 

 pean female of the species. If spathepus is an aberrant female 

 fiiliziHtisuv, as M'-ms not only possible, but probable, we must 

 therefore ;t--ume either that this species in Japan has two females, 

 iparalil.- to the a- and /3-females of tetipes, or that ii has only 

 ''" .Mi in ili , \\hile the a-female alone is retained in Europe 



I /. ; in fit : 'tuius 1. Mr., ilr.ili female ; B. head of same; C, 



I!\ i lent K i his question can be decided only by exhaustive obser- 

 \ aiioii- in J.i|i.in. 



Tin- tr.iinoi h\ potheses suggested by spathepus isnot terminated 

 .ii tlii- |)i)int. Recent investigations make us look with increasing 

 inti TI -( mi .ill .tin rrant female ants, for it has been found that 

 oit.iin species of Formica, A phccnogaster and Bothriomyrmex- 

 \\ hirh h.i\ e Ifni. ilt - rit her of unusually small size, glabrous integu- 

 ni. f\n.i'nliii.ti \ color or pilosity, or with unusual morpho- 

 if.il characters, also exhibit correlative ethological peculiaritii ->. 

 Sin h t malt--, during the establishment of their formicaries, an-, 

 as a rulr, temporary parasites on workers of allied species whose 

 tVmalr- n-tain tin- t\'pical generic characters. The question 

 tlit-ifton- arises as to whether the aberrant female, which I have 

 t alK-d 1.. tfxitlh'pHs, may not be a temporary parasite on some 

 otht i moiv common species of Lasius. Here the siiiyo-iion that 

 .s/x;///<7>//.s ma> 1 >r a /J-female of fiiliginosus receives a little support 



