37- ANTS. 



Kmery lias described a subspecies, pliysotlwra.v, and a variety, mucro- 

 nutii. In lhe>e ants the gaster remains unmodified but the epinotum, 

 or posterior portion of the thorax, is greatly enlarged in diffonnis and 

 even inflated in in flat a ( Fig. 223). In this species it is also of a honey- 

 yellow color, unlike the remainder of the body, which is dark brown 

 or black. Kmery (i9OO&) has also described another species, C. tuini- 

 dnla from Sumatra which shows an incipient stage in the enlargement 

 of the epinotum. 



Smith described C. inflata as " one of those singular and anomalous 

 species which, without any particle of information, derived from obser- 

 vation, puzzle and perplex the naturalist ; what can possibly be the use 

 of the bladder-like excrescence on the thorax of this insect, it is difficult 

 to imagine ; to the touch it is elastic, and apparently forms a receptacle 

 for saccharine fluids. With the aid of a microscope, a small, circular 

 orifice can be seen at each of the posterior lateral angles of the swollen 

 part, and small, crystallized particles are apparent, not only within 

 the orifice, but scattered over the surface of the inflation; we may, 

 therefore, reasonably suppose that this singular apparatus is for the 

 purpose of elaborating a suitable and necessary aliment for the larvae 

 of this singular insect." Of C. diffonnis he says : " This species resem- 

 bles the C. inflata in form; but the swollen portion of the thorax is 

 of a solid consistency ; it forms, however, a similar laboratory of sac- 

 charine matter ; the orifice from which it exudes is not exactly at the 

 posterior angles, but a little way beneath ; in some specimens masses of 

 crystallized particles can be seen beneath the orifice; of this species, 

 both large and small workers have been examined, and the same appa- 

 ratus is found on them both." 



More recently Bingham (1903) has made a few observations on 

 these ants, which he describes as follows : " C. diffonnis, physothorax 

 and inflata have the metathorax remarkably large and swollen, with a 

 hollow in each side interiorly, communicating exteriorly by a tiny aper- 

 ture. In live specimens there seems to be a continual flow from this 

 aperture of a sweet fluid, and I have watched the workers of C. physo- 

 tlwra.r licking one another's thoraces vigorously." 



These brief but interesting notes leave the reader in some perplexity. 

 Janet ( 1898?) surmised that the epinotal enlargement in C. inflata might 

 be due to hypertrophy of the peculiar glands which he, Meinert and 

 Lubbock had found in this portion of the thorax of our northern ants 

 (see p. 38). Tn a number of specimens of C. inflata in my collection, 

 from Zamboangan, Philippines, two broadly elliptical or nearly circular 

 openings are seen on each side of the epinotum (Fig. 223). The upper, 

 which is somewhat smaller, is the tracheal orifice, or stigma, the 



