174 BULLETIN 108, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM, 



Osten Sacken (1877), as early as 1877, noted a species of termite 

 swarming at Geysers, Sonoma County, California, which proves to 

 be this species: 



The smaller species of Termes I observed on the wing at the Geysers, Sonoma County, 

 May 6. Seeing the air filled with them about the hotel, I soon found a plank on the 

 ground, from under which they were emerging, coming from under ground. As the 

 spot was in the yard of the hotel, I could not well dig very deep in the soil. At the 

 same time I noticed a number of individuals on the soil, which had already shed their 

 wings and were running about in couples. One of the individuals forming these cou- 

 ples looked a little longer and more pubescent at the end of the abdomen than the 

 other; thus inducing the belief that those were the two sexes. I watched these couples 

 for some time, running one after the other very seduously, but I never saw them copu- 

 late. About this time I was called to dinner and saw similar couples running about 

 on the tablecloth. I secured several such couples, both in alcohol and on pins. I 

 never saw the Termopsis run about in couples in that way. 



I. Bush collected wmged adults of this species at San Jose, Cali- 

 fornia, in Februarj^, 1872, and A. E. Bush on November 16 and 

 December 7, 1881. Other winged specimens in the collection of the 

 United States National Museum bear the labels, ''Alameda Co., 

 Cal., Nov." and "March 25, '16, H. G. Dyar." 



On May 29, 1917, adults swarmed at Los Angeles, CaUfornia. 

 On June 1, 1917, the writer found this termite flying at elevations of 

 4,000 to 4,500 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, Cahfornia; 

 apple trees were in fuU bloom. At Little Bear Lake, elevation 

 approximately 5,000 feet, the adults were m colonies ready to swarm 

 under dry cow dmig in a small canyon leading to the lake. The 

 western flowering dogwood {Cornus nuttaUii) was in full blossom and 

 had the pollen ripe. Nymphs of the second form were also present 

 in this colony. 



Reference to biological or economic literature. 



1877. Osten Sacken, C. R. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 19, pp. 72-3 (for Jan. 

 3, 1877), June {Termes, species). 



KETICULITERMES LUCIFUGUS Rossi. 



Rossi described ^^ Termes" lucifugus in 1792; the type locality is 

 the shores of the Mediterranean. This termite occurs in all the 

 Mediterranean countries of Europe and also in western France and 

 Hungary, but is especially abundant throughout southeastern 

 Europe and causes at times considerable damage. Hagen (1858) 

 and Jacobson (1904) record the distribution of lucifugus in detail. 



Previous to 1797 it never attracted any attention; nor is 

 the occurrence of a termite in Europe ever mentioned by the older 

 authors. It was not until 1840 to 1850 that lucifugus was reported 

 to have committed any noticeable depredations. Early in this 

 year (1853) this species appeared as a regular pest throughout the 

 city of RocheUe, France (Quatrefages, 1853). Boffinet (1853) has 

 described the destructive habits and omnivorous tastes of lucifugus. 



