1 4 Claude Fuller 



THE TERMITES OF SOUTH AFRICA; 



Being a PTeliminar}) Notice. 



By Claude Fuller. 



The present paper, whilst dealing mainly with the termites of 

 the Union of South Africa also embraces species occurring or 

 reported to occur in Africa south of lat. 22 deg. 



It is not proposed to give descriptions of any of the known 

 species, but preliminary statements are made for those regarded 

 as, at present, undescribed. 



The keys given are to be regarded as for the everyday use of 

 the field naturalist, and are not designed for the systematist to 

 whom the literature is available. 



Some apology is required for the length at which the synonomy 

 of some species is dealt with. I have, however, been unable to 

 offer solutions to the puzzles presented in fewer words. 



My species are species in the commonly accepted taxonomic 

 sense. I take the type as having, or in the future being given, a 

 sufficiently elastic description to include the many variations to be 

 met in the asexual castes and also in the antennae and wdng vena- 

 tion of the imagos. 



The term *' variety '* has been avoided as a systematic dis- 

 tinction and " form " or " subspecies " used in its place. 

 " Forms " are such as cannot be brought into an elastic descrip- 

 tion without destroying the biological situation. They would be 

 treated as species by some, but appear to me more in the nature 

 of topographical races. 



The term "subspecies" is employed to preserve what also ap- 

 pears to me to be a biological situation. Such as are given might 

 have been ranked as species were it not that by so treating them 

 the distinct relationship they bear to the type would be obscured. 



