ON SOME AUSTRALIAN TERMITES. 381 



Measurements : Total length (about), 3-47 ; head with jaws, 0-7 long ; thorax 

 and abdomen, 2-68 long ; head, 0-64 wide, 0-32 deep; antennae, 0-98 ; mandibles, 

 left, 0-38 long, 0-25 wide, right, 0-36 long, 0-28 wide; prothorax, 0-22 long, 

 0-4 wide ; tibia (i) 0-46, (ii) 0-38, (iii) 0-56. 



The small size of the soldier of this species will at once separate it from any other 

 described Australian Hamitermes ; its nearest ally is Hamitermes latidens, Mjob., 

 from which it may be distinguished, inter alia', by its smaller size and the form and 

 number of joints in the antennae. 



North Queensland : TownsviHe. 



Biology. 



Winged adults, soldiers and workers were found in heavily manured garden soil 

 on 10th December and 18th December 1919. About 50 points of rain fell on the night 

 of 17th December, and at 8.30 a.m. on the following morning winged termites were 

 noticed flying up from the very sandy soil. After some searching a small circular 

 opening was found on a bare sandy space from which the winged forms were 

 emerging. One soldier and several workers were congregating about the opening, 

 apparently guarding the entrance to the nest while the winged forms made their 

 exit. Between 8.30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on 16th and 17th November 1920, winged forms 

 were again noticed rising from the grass-covered soil a few yards distant from where 

 the first specimens were taken in the previous year. In most cases they fluttered 

 feebly from a blade of grass or other object, flew a few yards and settled again in the 

 grass, where most of them were caught almost at once by small ants {Pheidole 

 megacephala). The first swarm (16th November) was preceded a few hours earlier 

 by a heavy shower of rain and the second swarm, firstly, by a very copious watering 

 of the adjacent soil from the pipe service and, secondly, by a heavy shower of rain 

 about 5 a.m. 



Hamitermes perplexus, sp. n. 



Imago. — Head and prothorax dark brown (bay) ; postclypeus lighter than 

 head, anteclypeus whitish with yellow blotches ; antennae and tergites of abdomen 

 mummy brown ; on the first nine tergites a small clear mark on each side, distinctly 

 comma-shaped on segments 3-6 inclusive ; sternites Dresden brown, first four 

 paler than others and only very slightly darker at sides, the rest uniformly dark, 

 plates 1-6, inclusive, with small clear mark at each end, 5-8 uniformly dark ; sternum 

 and pleurae not darker than sternites of abdomen ; wings brown. 



Fig. 16. Hamitermes perplexus, sp. n., 

 head of imago. 



Head (fig. 16) rounded behind, flat on summit, widest across the eyes, moderately 

 hairy, hairs of variable length. Eyes large, projecting beyond sides of head. Ocelli 

 oblique, oval, widely separated from the eyes. Fontanelle large, oval, with linear 



(5296) 2 F 2 



