162 NOTES ON QUEENSLAND ANTS. 
descends and is armed with two posteriorly and outwardly 
directed sharp spines, from the bases of which ridges 
extend to the hinder lateral angles, where they form tuber- 
osities. Hinder border with a semi-circular deep emar- 
gination, surface between and behind the spines smooth. 
Nodes of petiole sub-equal, each longitudinally wrinkled, an- 
terior one angular and posterior one rounded above in longi- 
tudinal section. Abdomen microscopically punctate, with 
larger hair-bearing punctations. Head rounded posteriorly at 
the angles, the margins produced anteriorly into blunt pro- 
jecting processes. Clypeus sunk into a deep fossulet, having 
a small anterior mesial elevation, and two prominent teeth 
on its margin. Mandibles punctate and wrinkled, having 
four teeth, of which the outermost is largest. Maxillary 
palp five-jointed, 1, 2, and 3 joints subequal, 4 and 5 
together scarcely exceeding third. Labial palp 3-jointed, 
joints subequal. Antenne densely clothed with depressed 
hairs, scape less than flagellum, with a distal expansion on 
the side apposed to it. Attennary fossa reaching little 
beyond eyes. Legs clothed with long ascending hairs. 
In size this ant approaches M. diversus (Smith), from Cham- 
pion Bay, with which it agrees in other characters also. The 
entirely rugose petiole and its larger dimensions, amongst other 
features, distinguish it from M. hirsutus Mayr, from Gayndah. 
EXHIBITS. 
1. The scale of Apistus as a microscopic object. 
2. Two different kinds of harvesting ants, together with 
samples of the grain and rejected empty grass glumes from 
their nests. is 
3. A barograph tracing for September, accompanied by a com- 
ment on the chief meteorological phenomena corresponding to 
and in explanation of the variations in the curve, by Mr. J- 
Thorpe. 
