154 BULLETIN 108, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



(Snyder), and in November, 1917, Savannah, Georgia, by E. B. 

 Griff en; and at Montgomery, Alabama, on Oct. 17, 1917 (H. C. 

 Jones). 



Often several swarms emerge from the same colony in the same 

 year, sometimes as many as four separate swarms extending over a 

 period of one month. In size, however, the first swarm, from the 

 writer's observations, is usually the largest. 



Apparently rainfall has no influence on the time of swarmmg. It 

 is not essential that this species, or other species of Reticulitermes in 

 eastern United States, swarm during, or just after, rainfall — as in the 

 Tropics and in arid or desert regions in the United States, since the 

 ground does not become caked and cracked through drought as in 

 portions of the Southwest. 



Phenological correlation of the first swarming of Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar with the 

 bloom of the flowering dogwood {Cornus florida) {pollen ripe) at Falls Church, Virginia. 



First swarming. First full bloom. 



1912 May 8 1912 May 8. 



1913 April 25 ] 1913 April 26. 



1914 May 10 1914 May 11. 



1915 May 6 I 1915 May 1. 



1916 May 8 ! 1916 May 8. 



1919 between April 28 and 30 ! 1919 May 2. 



ABNORMALITIES. 



Certain abnormalities have been noted (Snyder, 1915) in the 

 metamorphosis of the nymphs of the first form to the winged adult. 

 Individuals may be observed with partial pigmentation to the 

 chitinized parts, but with the wings partially unfolded, or unfolded 

 but crumpled wings or merely the long opaque wing pads of the mature 

 nymph before the last quiescent stage and molt. Other individ- 

 uals that may have the mature body pigmentation, but distorted 

 or poorly developed wings, or even wing pads, emerge with the 

 normal winged adults at the time of the swarm. 



It was formerly explained that these abnormally developed in- 

 dividuals were merely abnormalities due entirely to unfavorable 

 conditions of moisture. Now, however, when considered with 

 certain "intermediate" forms, these abnormalities may be termed 

 fluctuating variations or mutations from the normal winged repro- 

 ductive forms (Thompson and Snyder, 1919). These abnormal 

 forms, together with the "intermediate" forms, represent almost a 

 complete series beginning with normal wings and ending with the 

 apterous reproductive form, a large intergrading series. On these 

 intermediate forms the length of the wing pads ranges from the long 

 wing pads of the nymphs of the first form to vestigial buds. 



These abnormalities and ''intermediates" have partial pigmenta- 

 tion to the body, and the intermediates have various stages of eye 



