MANN: ANTS OF THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS. 



305 



Petiole densely and microscopically punctate. Gaster shining and finely 

 punctate. 



Head, thorax, and gaster with short and subappressed golden pubescence 

 and a few longer erect hairs. 



Color yellow. Wings faintly yellowish; veins pale. 



Florida: Maliali (Type-locality). Ysabel: Fulakora. 



Differing from iviperator subsp. rufithorax Emery in color, not having 

 the thorax and epinotum " rouge sanguin," and in the sculpture of the 

 head; and from subsp. opacuhis Viehmeyer, in color. 



The yellow male is very Ichneumon-like. The two specimens, 

 taken from the same colony, show a marked difference in the struc- 

 ture of the petiolar node. In one the dorsal surface gradually slopes 

 to and up the sides of the triangular projection ; in the other there is 

 an angle between the two. The lateral tubercles on the node are 

 unusually large. 



Several colonies were observed. They were in dense forest; the 

 nests were in the ground among the roots of trees and contained large 

 numbers of workers. The workers are less active than haematoda and 

 not as aggressive. Type. — M. C. Z. 9,160. 



33a. Odontomachus malignus F. Smith, subsp. tuberculatus 



Roger. 



Berl. zeitsch., 1861, 5, p. 28, g . 



Santa Cruz: Graciosa Bay. Malaita: 

 Simoli (Coll. H. Hall). 



A large series of workers agree with 

 Roger's description of tuberculatus in 

 having the mesonotum longitudinally 

 striate. Smith described inaUcjnus as 

 having the mesonotum transversely stri- 

 ate, so this is evidently a distinct form of 

 at least subspecific value. 



It is a beautiful ant, bright ferruginous 

 in color and distinct from other species 

 of Odontomachus in having the vertex 

 bituberculate. The head is constricted 

 behind, but is proportionately smaller 

 and shorter than in other species belong- 

 ing to the hastatus group. 



I found the species only once, at ^'''- 13.— Odontomachus malignua 

 r^ • r, 1 \ tuberculatus Roger. Worker.- 



(jrraciosa liay, where workers were Front view of head. 



