134 Psyche [August 



of the stems of Cordia nodosa Lani. var. hispidissima Freser, 

 with Allomerus odoarticulatus Mayr, the typical ant of this 

 myrmecophy te . ' ' 



Nos. 209 and 175 have previously been identified in con- 

 nection with Dr. Wheeler's extended account of the curious social 

 beetles which he found in this region. 



An exmination of these specimens in comparison with an 

 extensive series of individuals from many other tropical and 

 subtropical areas has indicated that this species is subject to a 

 certain degree of variation in respect to the structural characters 

 that are at present regarded as of taxonomic value, this variation 

 occuring particularly in the number of spines in the different 

 marginal cerarii, the shape of the ventral chitinized area at the 

 caudal apex of the body, and the number of antennal segments. 



In the specimens collected by Dr. Wheeler the cerarian 

 spines average slightly more numerous for corresponding cerarii 

 than in typical forms from pineapple, that is, for example, in 

 the same cerarius in ten specimens instead of, say, four having 

 four spines and the other' six, three spines each, the proportions 

 may be six with four spines and four with three spines to each. 

 The chitinized ventral thickening in nearly all of the specimens 

 from pineapple is irregularly quadrate, at most only slightly 

 longer than wide, but in the specimens from Dr. Wheeler, while 

 the variation is marked, the average shape of each thickening 

 is distinctly elongate, in this respect more nearly resembling 

 the shape as figured by Ferris (ref . cited) for the species than the 

 usual shape in the specimens from pineapple. The accompanjnng 

 figure indicates this variation quite clearly. Finally, P. hromelice 

 normally has 8-segmented antennae, while in a majority of the 

 specimens sent bj^ Dr. Wheeler these are 7-segmented; however, 

 since these specimens show a range of from six to eight segments 

 there seems no ground for attaching any taxonomic significance 

 to the presence of one less segment in the majority of the antennae 

 examined. 



Prof. Cockerell (ref. cited) has recently called attention to 

 the fact that the identification by modern coccidologists of the 

 mealybug commonly occuring on pineapple as the "Coccus 



