ERIC MJÖBERG, ISOPTERA. 73 



The galleries grow wider and wider the deeper one 

 gets. Most of tbem were filled with dry yellow pieces 

 of grass. They go down to a deepth of about half a meter 

 in the centre, but are not so deeply placed towards the peri- 

 fery. In the most deeply situated galleries (se Text Fig. 58 b) 

 the winged insects were found in large number. They were 

 very quick in their movements and took to their wings for 

 smaller distances. Here also some whitish specimens with 

 wing-cases were found.» 



Also in the vicinity of Laura in North Queensland I 

 saw the same flattened nests inhabited by the same species. 

 In one nest I found millions of eggs, but no trace of any 

 queens. The eggs are very small, of oval shape. 



Near Alice River in North Queensland this species some- 

 times occupies the nest or parts of the nests of Coptotermes 

 lacteus Frogg. 



32. Haiiiitermes ineridioiialis Frogg. 

 (Text Fig. 37 a.) 



This species so well-known on account of its very peculiar 

 nests, the so called »magnetic nests» is commonly met with 

 in eastern Australia. In the vicinity of Laura in Cape York 

 Peninsula it builds very high greyish nests in the open 

 savannah country, but as a rule on slightly damp ground. It is 

 also known from the southern parts of Queensland and from 

 New South Wales, but does not seem to construct similar 

 nests in those parts. It is spread also över the eastern desert- 

 like parts of West-Australia and in Central Australia. 



My material contains specimens from Laura and Coleman 

 River in the Cape York Peninsula and from Adelaide in South 

 Australia. It occupies sometimes the nest of Coptotermes 

 lacteus Frogg, and in one instance I have found it com- 

 pletely inhabit the small conical nest of H. laurensis Mjöb. 



All the soldiers examined by me have a very distinct 

 sharp backwards pointing tooth on the jaw. This is also the 

 case with specimens determined by Froggatt which I have 

 had to my disposal. The very closely allied species H. lau- 

 rensis Mjöb. never shows that shape of the tooth, but is 

 invariably more obtuse. 



