388 bulletin: m.useum of compakative zoology. 



rather stout straight spines extending forward, upward, and outward. Pro- 

 mesonotal suture narrow. Mesoepinotal impression very feeble. Base of 

 epinotum twice as broad as long, slightly convex between the spines which are 

 stout, about one and one half times as long as pronotal spines, moderately 

 divergent, extending backward and upward and very feebly curved at apical 

 half. Petiolar node in profile evenly convex in front, nearly straight behind; 

 spines stout, strongly curved upward and backward, but not sufficiently di- 

 vergent to encircle base of gaster, with two stout, triangular acuminate teeth 

 between. Gaster very broadly oval. 



Mandibles moderately shining, striolate, with elongate punctures; apically, 

 with several fovolate punctures. Head, thorax, epinotum, and petiole opaque, 

 coarsely and densely reticulately rugose; spines strongly striate and rugose. 

 Gaster shining, finely and regularly punctate. Antennal scapes densely 

 punctate. Legs transversely striolate. 



Funiculus poUinose. Gaster with sparse, very fine, and short recumbent 

 hairs. Other hairs absent except a few setae on front of head and clypeus. 



Black; legs very dark ferruginous. 



Malaita: Near Auki, on trail to x\i.slsiki. Ysabel; Fulakora. 



One large colony was found in each locality. The Malaita nest v^^as 

 built on the under side of an agave leaf, mostly of silk but with a few 

 strand? of vegetable material through it, and resembled an inverted 

 tent. The colony at Fulakora was in a triangular nest made of two 

 leaves connected by a sheet of silk. Partitions of pure silk divided 

 the interior into three chambers. Type. — M. C. Z. 9,188. 



When I shook the bush on which this was situated the workers 

 rushed out and grouped themselves on the top of the nest, standing 

 with the thorax elevated, and the gaster shoved forward, and kept 

 the antennae and the forelegs waving. They made an appreciable 

 amount of noise when they rushed about, the nest serving as a sounding 

 box. 



This species resembles armata F. Smith in habitus but is a much 

 smaller form, with shorter pronotal spines, finer thoracic sculpture and 

 very shining gaster. 



121. PoLYKHACHis (Myrmhopla) argentea Mayr. 



Verh. K.K. zool.-bot. gesellsch. Wien, 1862, 12, p. 682, g . 



Malaita: Auki. Florida: Mahali. 



I found argentea only on two occasions. A small colony at Auki 

 was in a nest made of two leaves fastened together with silk, similar 



