46 



Claude Fuller 



The soldiers of palUdus have not been obtained, but there is 

 much possibility that this is the termite referred to by Lichenstein. 

 Locahty: Olivewood, Cape Province. 



III. PSAMMOTERMES GROUP. 



Psammotermes allocerus Silvestri (1908). 



This is probably synonymous with P.h^berstoma Desneux 

 (1902) in which case P.fuscofemoralis Sjostedt (1904) and 

 P .absuanensis Sjostedt (1912) will almost certainly fall to 

 P.hl)bostoma. I can, however, only indicate a possible synonomy 

 arising out of my examination of lengthy series of imagos, soldiers 

 and workers from Namaqualand and Ovomboland. 



The following is a synopsis of the examinations referred to: — 



(a) The imagos from Namaqualand and Ovomboland agree 

 entirely with the description given by Sjostedt for fuscofemoralis 

 (1904). The antennae of all examined are composed of XVI 

 joints except one of XV joints. The type fuscofemoralis is stated 

 to have antenn.T of XVII joints but, subsequently (1912), Sjos- 

 tedt announced that the majority had XVI- jointed organs. I 

 find the fontanelle larger and brighter in the females than in the 

 maleii, turbinate in outline, the narrowed apex directed forward. 

 The wing venation I have already dealt with (1920). 



(b) The soldiers intergrade very regularly from very small to 

 very large ; the majority being of medium size. A series of mea- 

 surements specially taken for this paper show the ranges to be as 

 follows:* 



*In my " Studies upon the Post-embryonic Development of the 

 Antennae of Termites," Annals, Natal Mu«. TX, 2, 1920, p. 291, 

 I have recorded a series of head widths for P. allocerus. In 

 error only half the width of the heads measured is given so 

 that it is necessary to double the figures to get the correct range. 

 Thus treated the measurements will not be found to be at 

 variance with the present statement. 



