ERIC MJÖBERG, ISOPTERA. 29 



III. Family Mesotermitidae Holmgr. 



10. Leucoteriiies ferox Frogg. 



This species seems to have a very a very wide distri- 

 bution. It is previously know from N. South Wales and W. 

 Australia. My own material contains specimens (soldiers and 

 workers) from Noonkanbah (N. W. Australia), Darling Range 

 (W. Australia), Adelaide (S. Australia), Colosseum (S. Queens- 

 land), Yarrabah, Atherton and Cedar Creek (N. Queensland). 



— The specimens (soldiers) from certain localities are of 

 larger size and more darkly coloured than from other ones. 

 As SiLVESTRi (Die Fauna Siidwest-Australiens, Bd II, Lief. 

 171, 1909, p. 297, Isoptera) has pointed out, some of the sol- 

 diers are of larger size. I have not been able to find any 

 structural differences between the soldiers from the different 

 localities. — Lives under stones and logs in smaller commu- 

 nities, or in deserted nests of Coptotermes lacteus Frogg. 

 Belongs to the open forest-country and does not enter the 

 jungles. 



11. Coptotermes lacteus Frogg. 



The most common, and at the same time the most de- 

 structive, of the Australian termites. It is spread all över 

 Australia and seems to vary slightly in the different places. 

 According to Froggatt, the soldier has 16-jointed antennse 

 and this seems to be the rule. Silvestri (1. c.) says that cer- 

 tain specimens from N. South Wales show only 14 joints. 

 According to my own observations on a very large material, 

 the number of joints varies from 15 to 16. — My material, 

 contains specimens from Broome (N. W. Australia), Perth 

 (W. Australia), Mt. Tambourine, Mapleton, Blackal Range, 

 Yandina (S. Queensland), Millaa Millaa (rain-forest), Laura, 

 AKce Rive (N. Queensland). It is typical of the open 

 savannah-country, but enters occasionally into the jungles, 

 where I have seen it attack the wood of green, living trees; 



— Nest and habits described by Froggatt (1. c). 



