456 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



Male. Length 8-8.5 mm. 



Head decidedly broader than long, narrowed in the region of the 

 cheeks, which are short and fiat; posterior border of head straight, 

 posterior corners broadly rounded. Eyes large, suboblong. Maxil- 

 lary palpi 5-jointed. Mandibles 4-toothed. Clypeus convex, sub- 

 carinate, with entire, slightly reflected anterior border. Thorax and 

 gaster of the usual shape, the former distinctly broader than the head. 

 Petiole broad and low, with thick, rounded, transverse upper border. 



Body subopaque; pleurae, scutellum, metanotum, and gaster more 

 shining. Mandibles striatopunctate. Head and thorax very finely 

 and densely punctate, gaster shagreened, with rather coarse, scattered 

 piligerous punctures on its upper siu-face. 



Hairs and pubescence grayish, more abundant than in the worker; 

 the hairs very long on the epinotum, petiolar border, basal gastric seg- 

 ment and venter; somewhat shorter on the clypeus and pronotum and 

 still shorter on the upper surface of the gaster. Eyes hairless. 



Black; borders of mandibles, tibiae, tarsi, and articulations of legs 

 brownish, or in some specimens yellowish. Genitalia sordid yellow, 

 the tips of the appendages not infuscated. 



Host. Unknown; probably F. fiisca var. argentea or var. neo- 

 clara. 



Type LOCALITY. — Colorado: Manitou (Wheeler). 



Colorado: Red Rock Canyon, near Colorado City (Wheeler). 



South Dakota: Harding County (S. S. Visher). 



The female F. comata, though it superficially resembles several of 

 the foregoing species, is nevertheless very distinct in sculpture, color, 

 and pilosity. It is much more difficult to distinguish the worker, 

 as it is extremely like the corresponding phase of F. ciliata, differing 

 only in having a somewhat more hairy body, darker gaster and in 

 large specimens in having the petiole narrower and with its superior 

 border more pointed and produced upward. The worker obscuripes 

 and aggerans have more abundant and more erect hairs on the thorax 

 and the infuscation of workers of all sizes is much more pronounced 

 and extensive. The male comata is distinguished from the male 

 ciliata by its quadridentate mandibles, pale genitalia, and somewhat 

 paler wings. 



The nests of comata are very similar to those of ciliata, being under 

 clusters of stones or about stumps and logs. These objects are rather 

 heavily banked or even covered with vegetable detritus. The winged 

 phases were taken July 26 and August 14. 



