188 BULLETIiSr 108, UXITED STATES NATION" AL MUSEUM. 



Genus ANOPLOTERMES Fritz Miilier. 



This genus is particularly interesting because there is no soldier 

 caste. This is exactly the reverse condition of that in the genus 

 Kalotermes, where there are no workers. In the genera Termopsis and 

 Neotermes while there are apparently no true workers, there is a form^ 

 with no wing pads which is worker-like, and attends to the duties of 

 workers. According to Sharp (1901), the species Anoplotermes 

 pacificus Fritz Miilier differs from other termites in possessing a 

 proventriculus destitute of triturating ridges. 



ANOPLOTERMES FUMOSUS Hagen. 



For taxonomy, see pp. 66-69. 



In the United States there is but one species in this genus, namely, 

 A. fumosus Hagen, described from Vera Cruz, Mexico. This termite 

 occurs in southwestern Texas and is especially common near the 

 Mexican border, living in the ground and in and under cow chips. 

 It is usually associated with other species of termites — usually 

 species of Amitermes — but also with Constrictotermes and rarely 

 Reticulitermes — under decaying logs sunken into the ground ; probably 

 in a symbiotic relationship. The workers of this species have the 

 peculiar habit of crawling about in single file, closely following one 

 another. These workers are of a dirty grey color and have a rather 

 elongate, fusiform, or bag-shaped body. ''Grey backs" would 

 be a good descriptive name. (Fig. 53.) 



The remarkable point is the absence of the soldier caste. The 

 writer spent many days' search looking for the soldier caste, and, 

 after fruitless search, thought of the South American genus Ano- 

 plotermes. This was confirmed when workers of A. pacificus Fritz 

 Miilier were seen at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, in Hagen's 

 collection. The jaw of the sexual adult is very long, and this, with 

 the absence of the frontal gland, enables it to be readily distinguished. 



Hagen described this termite from Vera Cruz, Mexico. P. Cardin 

 collected workers in the earth at Santiago de las Vegas, Cuba, on 

 August 23, 1918. These may belong to another species of Ano- 

 plotermes {scJiwarzi Banks) whose habitat is Cuba. 



After recognizing the genus from the worker caste, Mr. Banks 

 found that J. D. Mitchell had collected winged adults of A. fumosus 

 Hagen at Harlingen, Texas, as early as August 1, 1906. Mr. Mitchell 

 collected a large number of adults (now in the United States National 

 Museum collection) so that the species must have been swarming. 

 Harlingen is not far from the Mexican border. This species has 

 been found in Mexico at Matamoras (across from Brownsville, Texas) ; 

 the adults were swarming and are now in the Hagen collection. 



The writer found the first workers of this termite at Victoria, 

 Texas, on April 19, 1917, and was immediately struck by their peculiar 



I Reproductive. 



