EEVISIOiSr OF E"EARCTIC TERMITES. 9 



type is occidentis Walker the latter being a Kalotermes. I liave 

 chosen T. insignis Heer, a species which appears to be truly conge- 

 neric with our T. angusticollis. 



Kalotermes (or Oalotermes as it is usually written) was first used by 

 Hagen in a note on the Mosambique Neuroptera in 1853. No species 

 are mentioned. The next year in a note on fossil Neuroptera, he refers 

 to it T. he^rnitii Pictet. This, then, must be the type. Most authors 

 have chosen K. flavicoUis as type. It is extremely unfortunate that 

 three of the principal genera have thus been based on fossil species, 

 and it will always be more or less uncertain whether these names 

 really apply to any living termites. 



In the division of " Enter mes" I have also met with difficulties. 

 In 1890 Dudley proposed two generic names for species with nasuti 

 solcHers. He failed to mention any specific name. In 1910 Holmgren 

 made several subgenera in ' ' Enter mes. " One of these we have. For 

 one '' Enter mes" form I have adopted Dudley's first name as a new 

 generic name, although I am aware that certain rules would hold 

 the name with Dudley as author. I can not find that oiu* species fall 

 in tlie new subdivisions of Holmgren. It is also unfortunate that 

 our common termite, now weU laiown under the generic name of 

 LeuC'Aermes, should have to have a new and less euphonius name; 

 but the type species of Leucotermes is not congeneric with our common 

 species. 



SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF NEARCTIC TERMITES. 



In order to show the position of our termites in the general classifi- 

 cation of the gToup I have presented a table of the famiHes and sub- 

 families of the world. This is much different from that of Holmgren 

 at first view, but it should be remembered that three of his four family 

 names are not based on any included generic name, contrary to all 

 rules. I have, however, altered the content of certain of his groups 

 and more sharply defined them by the use of the ciha on the wing 

 margin — a character, I beheve, of almost prime importance; in fact, 

 it might be better to unite the Stolotermitinae with the Termitinae 

 in a family, and raise the Mastotermitinae to a family; then there 

 would be four famihes as follows: 



Mastotermitidae. 



Kalotermitidae = Protermitidae of Holmgren. 



Rhinotermitidae = Mesotermitidae (partly) of Holmgren. 



Termitidae = Metatermitidae of Holmgren, 



But such an arrangement neglects the value of the frontal gland or 

 fontanelle, which I consider of greater importance than the retention 

 of primitive characters. 



110162— 20— Bill!. 108 2 



