Smith. — On Neiv Zealand Ants. 469 



been observed in the South Island. Forel's new var. Striata 

 nifescens was collected by Mr. A. T. Urquhart on Pirongia 

 Mountain. Prolascus advena, Sni., occurs in large communi- 

 ties in both Islands. Ponera castanea, Mayr; Acantlioponera 

 brounii, Forel ; Amhhjovone cephalotis, Sm. ; A. saundersi, 

 Forel ; Orectognathus antennatiis, Sm. ; Ponera antipoditvi, 

 Forel; Strumi(jenysperplexa,'&xn.; and Discothyrea antarctica, 

 Emery, have recently been collected by Captain Broun at 

 Drury, Mercury Bay, and Rotorua, but are unknown at 

 present in the South Island. The genus Monomorium is 

 represented by five species, two of which are found in both 

 Islands. M. integrum, M. suteri, and M. smithii, discovered 

 three years ago at Ashburton, will probably also be found to 

 inhabit the North Island. Before dealing with the habits of 

 endemic ants and their economic and parasitic attendants, 

 I may state that my observations apply only to the species 

 occurring in Canterbury. 



As the habits of European ants have been so exhaustively 

 treated by Huber, White, Forel, and Lubbock, it would be 

 superfluous to enter minutely into details of the habits of the 

 native Forviicidce. There is practically so little difference in 

 the relative habits of the European and iVntipodean species 

 of ants of the same genus that it will only be necessary to 

 record the more striking or characteristic features of the 

 latter. The five species of Monomorium all occur commonly 

 in large and small communities, under variously-sized stones 

 on the Canterbury Plains. Perhaps no country can show 

 so many species of the same genus inhabiting separate nests 

 within so small a radius. In addition to the nests of Huberia 

 striata, the five distinct forms of Monomoria are frequently 

 situated within a few yards of each other. The greater 

 number of and more populous nests of Monomoria are 

 found under stones half embedded in sandy situations sup- 

 porting a stunted vegetation, such as we find on old river- 

 beds and the stony upper parts of the Plains. There are 

 several causes which apparently guide the ants in selecting 

 these sites. The network of roots generally growing beneath 

 the cool, damp undersides of the stones supports several species 

 of root-feeding Coccids, which are unquestionably of consider- 

 able economic value to ants. The removal of the loose sand 

 or poor sandy soil from under the stones is also more easily 

 accomplished by the ants when forming courts and tunnels 

 than where stones are imbedded in deep, rich soil. We have 

 occasionally found nests of M. nit id am under stones imbedded 

 in coarse shingle where no plants grew, and which contained 

 no Coccids or other insects — at least, so far as we could detect 

 without molesting the whole of the nests. On the 19th 

 November and 12th December last we examined two of these 



