The Termites of South Africa 1 03 



barely perceptibly emarginate; sides roundly curvate, bending 

 into bind margin wbieb is almost straight and but faintly in- 

 curvate. Meso- and metanotum with regularly incurvate hind 

 margins. Body with head fully extended 9 to 11 • 5 ; body with 

 wings 17 • 5 to 18 • 5 ; forewing with stump 13 • 5 to 15 * 5 ; span 

 28 to 32 ; headwidth across eyes 1 • 30 to 1 • 37 ; diameter of eye 

 from above • 37 to • 38. 



Soldier : Head yellow, elongate rectangular, flatly curved behind : 

 labrum reaching over basal half of mandibles. Antennae XIII 

 jointed, III very small. Total length 3 • 40 to 3 • 50 ; head with 

 mandibles 1 • 44 to 1 • 50 ; headwidth • 68 to 0-70. 



Worker mujor : Head sub-rectangular longer than wide ; 

 antennse as with soldier; headwidth 0- 81. 



Worker minor: Head sub-circular; antennce as with soldier, 

 headwidth • 02. 



Localities: LoURENCO Marques (Xinavane, Umkomati 

 R.); Transvaal (Pienaars River Rail). 



Remarks: M. etiolatus stands near M. feae Silvestri (1912) 

 a species described from Fernando Po. 



Sub-genus AncISTROTERMES Silv. 



I have not been able to determine how many representatives 

 there may be of this genus in South Africa but it is very difficult 

 for me to think that the series of soldiers so far collected represent 

 more than one species. If this be so the species here described as 

 A. lehomhoensis is essentially north-eastern in its distribution on 

 either side of the Lebombo Mountains from the Drakensberg to the 

 sea as far south as the Usutu-Maputu Rivers. To the north 

 it extends further inland along the valley of the Limpopo to at 

 least as far as the town of Messina. The biology of tlie species 

 is not different from that of Microiermes and the nest or portions 

 thereof may often be found in the mounds of Macroterma 

 belliccsus and M. natalensis or in the clay turrets built by Termes 

 latericius. 



Ancistrotermes lebomboensis sp.n. 



Imago: The dealate male and female (king and queen) exhibit 

 the following characters : Head above vinous ; eyes black ; epistome 

 yellow with a dark median line, mandibles yellow except teeth ; 

 antennae white. Pro- meso- and metanotum wing-stumps and ab- 

 dominal tergites brown, slightly contrasting with vinous head. 

 Pronotum with pale cross and pale spots near anterior lateral 

 corners. Sternites paler than tergites. liCgs yellow. 



