466 



bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



workers. The workers build thin walls of mud about the nest and 

 separate small chambers by these. 



A colony, which I placed with some damp earth in a jar for observa- 

 tion, in a few days had the sides of the jar reticulated with these walls, 

 made from a little clay placed in the jar. Type. — M. C. Z. 8,710. 



53. Strumigenys wheeleri, sp. nov. Fig. 24. 



Worker. Length 2.75-3 mm. 



Head elongate, sides in front of eyes nearly parallel, posterior angles promi- 

 nent, narrowly rounded, border strongly and narrowly concave. Mandibles 

 less than half as long as head, very slightly arcuate, with nearly parallel inner 



and outer borders; with two subequal, long apical 

 teeth, bent in at right angles to the blades, and a 

 short, acute tooth on the dorsal surface of the blade, 

 near the base of subapical tooth. Clypeus flat, 

 except at middle near front where it is shallowly 

 impressed; anterior border concave at middle. 

 Antennal scapes extending about three fourths the 

 distance to occipital corners; first funicular joint 

 longer than the second and third together, second 

 and third subequal, terminal joint as long as the 

 third and fourth together. Antennal scrobes 

 broad, deep and well defined at anterior third, 

 shallow basally. Eyes feebly convex, a little in 

 front of middle of sides of head. Thorax slender. 

 Pronotum narrowed in front, with rounded humeri, 

 nearly twice as broad as mesonotum which is con- 

 cave in profile. Epinotum armed with short, tri- 

 angular spines, less than half as long as distance 

 apart at base. Petiolar node longer than broad, 

 rounded in front; in profile longer than high and very slightly convex above. 

 Postpetiole twice as broad as petiole, rounded in front and at sides. Spongi- 

 form appendages present on ventral surfaces and on posterior margins of 

 petiole and postpetiole. 



Opaque, gaster .moderately shining. Mandibles, antennae, and legs rugu- 

 lose-punctate. Clypeus, scrobes, epinotum, petiole, and postpetiole densely 

 cribrately punctate, remainder of head and thorax punctate and rugose, the 

 rugae of the vertex and occiput reticulate. First gastric segment with oblique 

 striae which are coarse basally and become indistinct before the middle. 



Head and body with' very sparse erect hairs and a few shorter curved hairs 

 on head and thorax, shorter curved hairs on appendages and clypeal border. 

 Reddish brown, the gaster darker than the rest. 



Fig. 24. — Strumigenys whee- 

 leri Mann. Worker. Front 

 view of head. 



