82 Mr. J. O. Westwood on the Genus Typhlopone, 



which are well known to be the habits of neuter Ants. Of the 

 extraordinary pertinacity with which some of the latter retain 

 hold of these and larger insects, I have collected various no- 

 tices in my ' Introduction 5 (v. 2, p. 230.), whilst the partiality 

 of Ants for sugar is very great, and well known. One species 

 is indeed named Formica Saccharivora by Linnaeus. 



I proceed, therefore, to structural peculiarities. 



The large and flattened head is not exclusively characteristic 

 of the Formicidce, but the want of eyes and ocelli occurs only 

 in Typhlopone, and in various blind ants, mentioned in my 

 e Introduction' (v. 2, p. 218.). The antennae are equally similar 

 in structure in Typhlopone and several ants. In my drawings 

 of T. fulva, made immediately after the meeting of the British 

 Association at Cambridge, the antennae of T. fulva are repre- 

 sented as having only eleven joints ; that is, one joint less than 

 the typical number in female and neuter aculeate Hymeno- 

 ptera. A specimen recently given to me by Mr. Raddon, ex- 

 hibits also eleven decided joints in the antennae. Mr. Shuck- 

 ard describes them as " consisting apparently of only ten 

 joints," and blames me for not having described these organs, 

 as well as for having omitted a generic and specific descrip- 

 tion of T. fulva in my { Introduction,' where they would have 

 been out of place. Mr. Shuckard does not endeavour to show 

 in what way the loss of the two joints, which he states to be 

 wanting, occurs, but he assumes that the circumstance of 

 Myrmecodes and other apterous Mutillidce having only eleven 

 joints in the antennae, proves that Typhlopone is allied to 

 those genera. Now Latreille, with true philosophic spirit, 

 has shown how this loss occurs in the Myrmecodes and Myzine 

 (' Regne Animal/ 5. 316, 318.), namely, by the second joint 

 being lodged within the extremity of the first joint, by which 

 it is hidden. Such is also the case in the Thynni, which are 

 the males of Myrmecodes; but it is not so in Typhlopone, 

 and the loss must be accounted for in some other manner. 

 Mr. Shuckard, indeed, describes the T. Thwaitsii as having 

 eleven jointed antennae, and T. Spinolae as having apparently 

 twelve joints, arising from the large terminal joint being 

 divided in its middle by a slender dark ring, thus proving 

 that it is by the soldering together of the terminal joints, 

 and not by the immersion of the second joint within the apex 

 of the long basal joint, that this is effected. Hence we per- 

 ceive an identity of structure between Typhlopone and the 

 Ants, and a dissimilarity between them and the Mutillidce, 

 The former is still further confirmed by the fact, that I have 

 detected in some species of Ants, which I shall describe at 

 the end of this paper, only ten joints in the antennae, and that 



