The Termites of South Africa 4t 



Sub-genus MacrohodOTERMES sg.n. 



The definition of species in this sub-genus is fraught with 

 many difficuhies, and it seems to me that the wide variety of 

 forms scattered over Southern Africa represent but very few 

 species. Having examined soldiers, v/orkers and imagos from 

 many parts I have decided to recognise only three species. 

 These are Macrohodotermes mossamhicus (Hagen) sensu latus, 

 Macrohodotermes ^arrooensis mihi and Macrohodotermes palli- 

 dus sp.n. Each different terrain seems to give rise to its own 

 peculiar " form " or topographical race. Especially is this the 

 case in the mossamhicus series, wherein from the largest (irans- 

 vaalensis mihi) to the smallest (pulcher Sjostedt) I have a series 

 of intergrading imagos. 



Here I may say that the published measurements of pulcher 

 are somewhat conflicting; this is especially noticeable when com- 

 paring the " wing-lengths '* and the " span *', seeing that in the 

 latter no allowance is made by Sjostedt for the width of the pro- 

 notum between the wing roots. According to Sjostedt's basis 

 of measurements, in his Monograph, the length of the wing does 

 not include the stump. In the case of pulcher he gives the wings 

 as 21 to 23 mm., and the span 42 to 46 mm. or just twice the 

 length of the wing. The body length is given as 10 to 13 mm. 

 and I can only think these measurements refer to shrunken in- 

 sects with the heads in a vertical position. A type of pulcher 

 in the British Museum has, with the head bent down, a length 

 of 13 mm.; this with the head outstretched would be about 

 15 mm. The wings of two types in the British Museum, in- 

 cluding the stump, measure respectively 20 and 23 mm., and 

 the span of these should be 41.5 and 47.5 respectively. 



In the subjoined table are given certain measurements in milli- 

 metres of six series of imagos. The range of each includes males 

 and females, the larger dimension is that of the largest female the 

 smaller that of the smallest male. All the material is preserved in 

 alcohol. The body is measured with the head outstretched. The 

 wing-length is that of the forewing without the stump. 



