362 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



Santa Cruz: Graciosa Bay. 

 Described from a single worker. 



This is the fourth species of Turneria. Nothing is known regarding 

 the habits of these interesting ants. 



Key. 



1. Eyes smaller, hemispherical. Thora.x margined. Smooth and shining 



color black. Length 2-8 (AustraHa) frenchi Forel. 



Eyes large and fiat. Thorax not margined, or only pronotum with short 

 margin. Subopaque species 2. 



2. Funicular joints as broad as long; antennal scapes extending only slightly 



beyond border of eyes. Mesonotum twice as long as broad. Reddish 

 brown, gaster blacldsh, funiculus brown. Length 2.5-2.7 mm. (Queens- 

 land) ^ bidentata Forel. 



Funicular joints longer than broad; antennal scapes almost attaining 

 occipital borders of corners of head. Mesonotum less than twice as 

 long as broad 3. 



3. Pronotum much broader than long. Black; legs and funiculus dark brown, 

 . mandibles, front of head, scapes, and tarsi yellow. Length 2.2-2.3 mm. 



(Bismarck Archipelago) dahli Forel. 



Pronotum but little broader than long. Yellow-brown; gaster black. 

 Length 2.25 mm. (Santa Cruz) pacifica Mann. 



88. Iridomyrmex myrmecodiae Emery. 



Iridomyrmex cordatus var. myrmecodiae Emery, Ann. Mus. civ .stor. nat. Gen- 

 ova, 1887, 24, p. 249, ^ . 



Santa Cruz: Graciosa Bay. Santa Anna. Three Sisters: Malapaina. 

 Malaita: Auki. Ysabel: Fulakora. Florida: Tulagi. San Cristoval: 

 Wai-ai. 



This is one of the most abundant ants in the Solomons. It nests 

 sometimes beneath bark or in crevices on standing trees, but usually 

 in bulbs of an epiphyte, Myrmecodia sp. {HI. guppyanum), which 

 grows on the branches of several species of trees and is especially 

 common on a lowland-inhabiting species of Barringtonia. It has been 

 shown that Myrmecodia can thrive without the presence of ants, but 

 I am sure that few of this species do, for among the many that I cut 

 open, none were without them. Even very young bulbs, less than an 

 inch in diameter, contained incipient colonies. 



There is considerable variation in color among the very large series 

 before me. The Santa Cruz examples and some from Wai-ai have the 

 gaster jet black; in the majority of the specimens it is more dilute. 



