mann: ants of the British solomon islands. 307 



Shining throughout, and smooth, except for very fine scattered punctures 

 on head and thorax and delicate rugulae on apical part of mesonotum; base 

 of first gastric segment with very broad and shallow foveolate punctures. 



Sparse, long, erect pile scattered on head, body, and appendages. 



Black; mandibles, antennae, and legs dark reddish brown. Pilosity dark. 



Malaita: near Fourafi, in the interior. 



Described from one worker. 



This species, w^hich is dedicated to Mr. W. P. Bell, Resident Com- 

 missioner of Malaita, resembles P. flavoihoracica Viehmeyer but 

 differs in having the thoracic and epinotal spines more slender and 

 strongly curved, in the structure of the petiole and in color. 



I follow Viehmeyer in considering the above species as belonging 

 to the subgenus Pheidolacanthinus, although it has 12- jointed 

 antennae. From Smith's description and figure of the genotype 

 (P. armaim) that form is merely a Pheidole allied to the better known 

 P. sexspinosa Mayr. and belonging to a group of species with armed 

 pronota that may be considered of subgeneric rank.^ 



36. Pheidole (Pheidolacanthinus) sexspinosa Mayr. 



Verh. KK. zool.-bot. gesellsch.Wien, 1870, 20, p. 977, ^ %. 



Santa Cruz: Graciosa Bay. San Cristoval: Wai-ai, Wainoni Bay. 

 Malaita: Auki. Ysabel: Fulakora. 



36a. Pheidole (Pheidolacanthinus) sexspinosa Mayr, var. 



FUSCESCENS Emery. 



Term, fuzet., 1900, 23, p. 32.3, ^ %. 

 Florida: Tulagi. 



*o 



37. Pheidole (Pheidolacanthinus) erato, sp. nov. 

 Soldier. Length 3.5 mm. 



Head large, nearly twice as broad as pronotum, a little longer than broad, 

 with slightly convex sides, rounded occipital corners, and narrowly and deeply 



1 In response to my request to examine the type of Pheidolacanthinus, Mr. Horace St. J. 

 Donisthorpe writes as follows: — 



"Smith's type of Pheidolacanthinus armalas is not in the British Museum. As however it is 

 at Oxford, I have got Prof. Poulton to examine it for me and he reports that the antennae are 

 12-jointed." 



