90 ARKIV FÖR ZOOLOGI. BAND 12. N:0 15. 



apical part whitish, labrum large and broad, taperin^ on the 

 sides, rounded at tip, hairy; jaws very short and stout, broad 

 at the base, curved, without any dentition whatsoever (on 

 the innerside of the left jaw there are two very minute, 

 hardly visible »teeth»); antennse light yellow, basal joint 

 very stout, 2nd only half so long and half so broad, 3rd very 

 short, only half so long as 2nd, 4th of the same length as 

 2nd, 5th much broader than 4th, but of about the same 

 length, 5th and following gradually longer and longer, but 

 only the apical joints reaching a length being twice the 

 breadth, elongate, rounded at tip; prothorax broad, very 

 slightly ridged in front, rounded at the sides, tapering to 

 the base, meso- and metathorax flatter and broader; legs 

 comparatively short, thighs fairly thick, tarsi long and 

 slender; abdomen whitish, rounded at the sides. 



Measurements: Length of body with jaws 4,4 mm, 

 length of head with jaws 1,56 mm, length of head without 

 jaws 1,31 mm, breadth of head 0,87 mm, length of prothorax 

 0,2 9 mm, breadth of prothorax 0,7 2 mm, breadth of abdomen 

 1,4 mm. 



A single soldier found in the lateral parts of the nest of 

 Coptotermes lacteus Frogg. at Ahce River in Cape York Pen- 

 insula. 



Genus Miroterines Silv. 



Of this cosmopolitan genus, hitherto known in about 44 

 different species, only two species, M. krisiformis Frogg. from 

 New South Wales and M. Krcepelini Silv. from Southwest 

 Australia were known from the Australian continent. After a 

 careful examination of my large material I come to the con- 

 clusion that the genus is fairly well represented in Australia, 

 not less than 6 species proving to be new ones. This brings the 

 number of Australian species up to 8. Undoubtedly many 

 more species are to be found in the väst continent. The 

 Mirotermes species live all in the open savannah forest country. 

 They live as a rule in the nests, or in the deserted ones, 

 constructed by other termites. Only some species in North 

 Queensland build their own nests, either on the ground or 

 at the base of the trunks of trees (Plate 5, fig. 2). 



In the following key the soldiers of the 8 hitherto known 

 species are tabulated. 



