428 



PSYCHE. 



[November 1899. 



North America. Professor Bruner de- 

 scribes the species so named by him as 

 '• the large red ant that builds mounds 

 of sticks, so common throughout a 

 large portion of the northern United 

 States." On asking Mr. Pergande, 

 what this species might be, he replies : 

 "What the particular species is with 

 which M. nebrascetists is associated, 

 I am unable to say, though I incline to 

 the belief that it equally frequents the 

 colonies of Fortnica ptiberula Em., 

 Form, integroides Em., Form, ntbi- 

 ginosa Em., and possibly other forms 

 belonging to the great Rufa group." 



This species is easily separated by 

 its size from M. fergandei on one side, 

 and M. neha-wkae on the other ; from 

 M. fortnicarum it differs by its more 

 convex body and also by its smaller 

 size ; and from il/. oregoiiensis, to 

 which it is most closely related, by its 

 smaller size, lighter color, anteriorly 

 broader pronotum, the more equal 

 breadth of the posterior thoracic and 

 anterior abdominal segments, its rela- 

 tively broader hind femora, longer hind 

 tibial spurs and shorter ovipositor. 



Myrmecophila nehawkae sp. nov. 



Alyrmecophila nehawkae Brun.l 

 MS. 



Of minute size, long oval, convex, much 

 more than half as long again as broad, 

 sparsely tomentose, dull testaceous, the pro- 

 notum and succeeding segments posteriorly 

 margined rather broadly and feebly with 

 fuscous, the former also narrowly edged 

 with dull luteous in front; head more or less 

 infuscated; antennae scarcely so long as the 

 body, luteous or liiteo-testaceous, as are also, 

 but sometimes more pallid, the cerci and 

 legs. Pronotum shaped as in M. nebras- 

 ceiisis; mesonotum and metanotum equal 

 and scarcely longer than the subequal first 

 and second abdominal segments. Hind 

 femora ovate, at least as arcuate above as 

 below, not more than half as long again as 

 broad; outer hind tibial spurs much less 

 than half as long as tarsi. Cerci short, 

 rather stout, tapering from a little beyond 

 the base, much shorter than the hind femora ; 

 ovipositor fully as long as the hind femora. 



Length of body, $ , 1.75 mm., $, 2 mm ; 

 breath, $, i.i mm., J, 1.5 mm. 



2^, 3$. Weeping Water, Nebr., 

 L. Bruner, with Creniatogaster litieo- 

 lata Say, as determined by Pergande. 



This species differs from all the others 

 by its minute size, being as far as I 

 know the smallest species living, with 

 the exception of that found in S. Amer- 

 ica. From its nearest ally, tlie next pre- 

 ceding species, from which it differs 

 also least in size, it is separable by the 

 points brought out in the table. 



Personal Notes. — Dr. J. W. Folsom 

 has left Cambridge for Yellow Springs, 

 Ohio, where he has accepted the chair of 

 natural history at Antioch College. A por- 

 tion of his recent studies on the Thysanura 

 — the anatomy and physiology of the mouth- 

 parts of Orchesella — has recently been pub- 



lished by the Cambridge Museum of Com- 

 pai-ative Zoology. 



Dr. A. G. Mayer, the president of the Club, 

 has gone again to the Pacific Islands with 

 Dr. Alexander Agassiz in the U. S. Fish 

 Commission steamer Albatross and will be 

 absent until early in the spring. 



