ANTS. 



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thorax and arc, therefore, of less taxonomic value. Each of these 

 appendages consists of the same fixed number of joints, the coxa, tro- 

 chanter. femur, tibia, and five tarsal joints. The first tarsal joint, often 



called the metatarsus, is much elongated, especially 

 on the middle- and hind-legs, where it functions as 

 a kind of secondary tibia, while the terminal tarsal 

 joint bears a pair of usually simple, but sometimes 

 toothed, or pectinated claws. All of the tibia? may 

 be provided at their distal ends with spurs. These 

 are always large and pectinated on the fore-legs, 

 but may be simple on the middle and hind pairs. 

 The finely and regularly pectinated spur of the fore 

 tibia ( Fig. 10, b) is of special interest on account of 

 its beautiful structure and its function as a strigil. 

 It is movable and curved and its concavity is oppo- 

 site a similar concavity, fringed with bristles, on the 

 base of the metatarsus. The ant draws its antenna? 

 and posterior legs between the two opposed, pecti- 

 nated surfaces and thus wipes off any adhering 

 foreign matter. 



The wings have not been used to as great an 

 extent in descriptive works on ants as in those on 

 other families of Hymenoptera, owing to their 

 frequent absence in female specimens and to the 

 permanently apterous condition of the workers, 

 which have hitherto formed the basis of our sys- 

 tematic study. The venation of the fore wings, 

 however, often exhibits important generic or even 

 specific characters and its study, especially in fossil 

 ants, is indispensable. It is sometimes highly vari- 

 able in detail, even in males and females reared from 



! 



FIG. 10. Strigil 

 of Texas harvester 

 (Pogonomyrmex 

 inolefaciens. (Orig- 

 inal.) a. Distal end 

 of fore tibia : b, 

 movable, pectinated 

 spur ; c, first tarsal 

 (metatarsal) joint. 



FIG. ii. Anterior wings of ants. (Original.) A, Ichnomynne.v cockerelli, female; 

 B, Camponotus sansabeanus, female; C, Eciton schmitti, male; D. Stntmigenys per- 

 gaudci, female ; E. Lashts clai'iger , female : F ', Dolichoderus maricc. female : G . Sole- 

 nopsis niolesta, female; H.Forelius inaccooki, female : I.Myrmica scabrinodis, female : 

 K, Pachycondyla harpa.r, male ; L, Pogonomyrmex inolefaciens. female ; M, Tctra- 

 inorium ccspitnm, female; A r , Aphcrnogaster fiilra. female; O, Trachymyrmex septen- 

 trionalis. female. The following are the veins of the wing: a. costal; b. subcostal; 

 c, externomedian : d. anal; s, apterostigma ; c, and g. cubital; It, discoidal and sub- 

 discoidal : /, marginal, or radius: , transverso-median ; n. basal: in. recurrent: o. 

 first section of radius in A, B. C. E and O. transverse cubitus in F. I and .V. The 

 following are the cells: . first discoidal; r. costal: i. median; .r. submedian : y. 

 second discoidal ; w, first cubital : TV', second cubital. (These terms are used in 

 myrmecography. Some authors, like Handlirsch, regard what is here called the " sub- 

 costal " as the radius -i- median, and the " subdiscoidal " as a branch of the median.) 



