114 Psyche [June 



Described from two specimens from Canton, both from the same 

 vial in which they were mingled with several other ants. 



This is the fourth species of Gesomynnex to come to light. The 

 genus was established by Mayr in 1868^ for a species, hoernesi, 

 from the Baltic Amber, Emery, in 1891, referred a peculiar form. 

 corniger, from the Sicilian Amber to the same genus,^ but I have 

 recently made it the type of a distinct though allied genus, Sicelo- 

 m^triex.^ In the same paper I described a second species of 

 Gesomynnex, annectens, from the Baltic Amber. In 1893 Ernest 

 Andre® described and figured an extant species, capperi from the 

 Kapouas Basin of Borneo. This insect has not been seen since. 

 It is therefore of considera])le interest to find on the Asiatic conti- 

 nent a second living Gesomynnex. It is evident that the Bornean 

 and Chinese species are very rare and probably vanishing relicts of 

 a group of Formicinff with huge eyes and 8- jointed antennae, which 

 was represented by numerous species during the Oligocene and 

 Miocene Tertiary. To this group v,'e must also assign the allied 

 genera Sicelomynnex and Dimorphomyrmex. The latter is known 

 from two species from the Baltic Amber, theryi Emery and mayri 

 Wheeler, and three extant species, andrei Emery and janeti Ern. 

 Andre from Borneo, and luzonensis Wlieeler from the Philippines. 



Judging from Andre's figures and description, Gesomynnex 

 howardi differs from capperi in its smaller size, less reniform eyes, 

 broader pronotum, more cylindrical mesonotum, more convex epi- 

 notum, thicker petiole and more uniform honey-yellow color. 

 Andre's specimens measured 3.5 to 4 mm. and seem to have been 

 minor workers. Since the major worker measures in all probal^ility 

 not far from 4.5 mm. capperi must be considerably larger than 

 the Chinese species. The amber specimens which I described as 

 annectens may, perhaps, be major workers of hoernesi, but the 

 measurements seem not to favor this supposition, since annectens 

 varies from 4 to 6 mm.^ hoernesi from 2.5 to G mm. The great 

 similarity of all four described species of Gesomyr)nex leads me 



3 Die Ameisen des baUischen Bernsteins. Beitr. Naturk. Preussens. Physik. 

 Cikon. Ges. Konigsberg 1, 1868, pp. 1-102, 5 pis. 



* I^e Formiche dell'Ambra Siciliana nel Museo Mineralogica deirUniversita 

 di Bologna. Mem. R. Accad. Sc. 1st. Bologna (5) 1, 1891, pp. 141-165, 3 pi. 



■> The Ants of the Baltic Amber. Schrift. physik. okonom. Ges. Konigsberg 

 55, 1914, pp. 1-142, 66 flgs. 



« Voyage de M. Chaper a Borneo. Catalogue des Fourmis et Description 

 des Especes Nouvelles. M6m. Soc. Zool. France 5, 1892, pp. 46-55, 5 flgs. 



