The Termites of South Africa 89 



in the females) ; tarsi concolorous with apices of tibiae. Seen 

 from above: the femora are pale brown, the tibiae yellowish ex- 

 cept at upper third where there is a dark brown patch. Pleural 

 plates brown, concolorous with sternites. 



Head : behind almost semi-circular in outline ; eyes protruding 

 a little from margins but not strikingly convex ; surfaces of ocelli 

 perpendicular, not seen when extended head is looked down 

 upon; ocelli well separated from eyes, distant about twice their 

 short diameter, over each a distinct brow; between the ocelli, 

 the frons slopes to the clypeofrontal suture; behind the ridge 

 so formed is a flattened trian^ar area, towards the back of the 

 flattened area lies an obscure fontanelle point and in front of 

 this extends a faint median keel, on either side of the keel but 

 nearer to each ocellus, a small rounded elevation; in front and 

 somewhat mediad of each ocellus a slight elevation; sculpturing 

 on the whole faint ; clypeus straight in front, sides short, rounded, 

 hind margin incurvate, rather flatly inflated with a very fine 

 median furrow. 



Antennae XIX, jointed ; III. about half as long as II., never 

 longer than IV., usually shorter and narrower ; V. usually shorter 

 and narrower than IV. but longer than III.; sometimes IV. and 

 V. sub-equal. 



Pronotum, in a natural position : front margin broadly emar- 

 ginate ; corners boldly rounded ; sides tapering and incurvate : 

 hind margin more or less straight. Anterior lobe short, erect, 

 roundly notched, in the middle ; posterior lobe pressed down 

 along the hind margin, usually with a short median ridge in the 

 depressed field, in front of this the sculpturing differing in male 

 and female and very variable. The sides appear incurvate be- 

 cause they are bent. The pressing down of the hind margin 

 renders its appearance slightly incurvate. There is no distinct 

 cross groove and the anterior lateral corners are but shallowly 

 excavated. 



Hind margin of mesonotum broadly incurvate, that of metanotum 

 somewhat broadly and angularly emarginate; that of mesonotum 

 the wider. 



Wings somewhat opaque dark rusty brown (usually smoky 

 black in appearance in live insect) R. with numerous retrograde 

 curved branchlets tapering towards M., R. with or without anals 

 (sectors) near apex, M, usually extending to wing tip; offsets 

 of Cu. usually simple and 1 mm, apart. First sternite of abdomen 

 composed of two elongate pyriform plates united by a narrow 

 band, therefore broadly and deeply incurvate in front; the front 

 margins of the second and third sternites appear to exhibit deep 

 V-shaped incisions ; the front margin of the fourth sternite ap- 

 pears incurvate in the middle, that of the fifth roundly produced. 

 The sixth sternite of the female is relatively short, longer than 

 the fifth in the middle, the hind-margin slightly produced in the 

 middle, the produced part yellowish ; the sixth sternite of the 

 male slightly shorter than fifth ; the seventh about as long as 

 the fifth with an undulate hind margin; the eighth small and 

 notched against the abdominal papillae. 



Measurements : Body with head extended 13 to 17 (the length 

 of the abdomen depends upon whether it is much inflated or 

 telescoped). Body and wings 35 to 40; forewing with stump 

 32 to 35 ; without stump 30 • 5 to 33 • 5 ; width of forewing 7 to 8 ; 

 span 66 to 72 • 5 ; headwidth, across eyes 2-5 to 2*8. 



