232 



FOEMICID^. 



occipital emargination not deep ; mandibles smooth, sparsely 

 punctured : clypeiis anteriorly transverse, medially vertically 

 earinate ; antenna short, the scape falling short of the top of the 

 head by about half its length ; anteniial grooves shallow, not 

 distinct. Thorax somewhat short and robust, the jironotal tubercle 

 obtuse, the transverse mesonotal groove and ridge distinct; the 

 metanotum short, flat and trapeziform above ; spines comparatively 

 long. Pedicel short : the 1st node squamiform, emarginate above, 

 ■with a sliort appendix beneath ; 2nd node above transversely 

 fusiform, about twice as broad as long ; abdomen depressed, almost 

 circular. 



^ . Head above and abdomen dark brown ; the front of the head, 

 mandibles, antennae, thorax and legs yellow. Head oval, not very 

 arched posterioi-ly, w ith a distinct posterior margin ; antennae with 

 the scape extending by about a quarter of its length beyond the 

 top of the head. Thorax: the pronotum convex and rounded above, 

 with minute lateral tubercles, the mesonotal transverse furrow 

 barely indicated, the metanotum long, bidentate posteriorly. 

 Pedicel : the 1st node small, squamiform ; 2nd proportionately 

 large, from above circular, rounded and convex above ; abdomen 

 broadly oval, highly polished and shining. 



Lei'ijiJi, 11 4-4*5 ; ^ 2 mm. 



HaJ). AVestern India, Poona (Wrotfr/htoti). 



261. Phidole spathifera, Fore/, JRev. Suisse Zool. X (1902), pp. 168 & 

 1B7, 1/ ^ $ d; id. Jour. Bomb. N. H. Sue. xiv (1902), pp. 625 

 &539. 



11 . Head, posterior node of the pedicel and abdomen dark 

 bro\An, almost black, the last with the apical margins of the seg- 

 ments yellowish ; liagellum of the antenna), thoi'ax, legs and 

 pedicel anterioi'ly chestnut-red ; the whole insect covered \^■ith 

 abundant short red hairs, and closely striate-reticulate, opaque. 



Fig. m.—PhuhIr xpathifera, li-- 



Ilead. 



Head without the mandibles about as broiul as long, rather widely 

 but not deeply emarginate posteriorly ; mandibles not dentate, 

 smooth along the masticatory margin ; clypeus medially narrowly 

 earinate, with the anterior margin bisinuate ; antennal carina> short. 



