of ‘the year, with the corn ‘root lice infesting purslane than with 
se Upon the corn itself. 
Description. —This species of ant, and also the one following, belong 
to the family Myrmicide, in which ‘there are two nodes or thickened 
nts in the peduncle of the abdomen instead of a single node or sc “ale- 
like joint, as in the large family of Formicide. Solenopsis is readily 
distinguishable by its peculiar antennx, terminating, except in the male, 
‘in an enlarged club consisting of but two joints, the outer greatly 
elongate. 
_ ‘The worker, which is the commonest form, is very small, about 1.5 
to 1.8 mm. in length, yellow or brownish yellow, the margins of the 
abdominal segments paler. he antenne are ten-jointed, and between 
them are two longitudinal carinse which end in front in two small teeth. 
The metathorax is not armed with spines behind. The second joint of 
he peduncle of the abdomen is distinctly broader than the node of the 
first, and also much broader in front than behind. 
“The female is 4.2 to 4.8 mm. in length. General color reddish 
ellow, the mandibles, head, thorax above, and abdomen, excepting 
rgins of segments, yellow-brown. Antenna as in worker, but with 
eleven joints. Frontal carinz as in worker, ending in two te eth, Meta- 
thorax without spines behind. Second joint of abdominal peduncle 
ewhat broader than first, and twice as broad as long. Abdomen 
ali shed. Wings hyaline, with pale veins and stigma. 
The male is 3.5 to 3.6 mm. long, shining dark brown, head black- 
cra mandibles, antenns, and legs yellow. The antennswe have a 
short scape and no distinct club ; third joint about one and a third times 
as long as thick. Metathorax entirely unarmed. Wings hyaline. 
Pp Myrmica scabrinodis lobicornis, Nyl.* 
; (Plate I.; and Plate IL, Fig. 1.) 
On the strength of a single observation, made in 1887, I mention 
Shore a second species of ant as injurious to seed corn in the ground, 
more commonly known, however, to economic entomologists because 
of its association with injurious plant lice. This is one of the most 
abundant of our smaller species, occurring very commonly in the 
food of the smaller insectivorous birds. It may be at once distin- 
ished from our other very abundant ants by the fact that, like the 
other members of its family, the stem or peduncle of the abdomen has 
two distinct, rounded joints instead of one, and by the presence of two 
‘conspicuous stout spines or thorns projecting backward from, the pos- 
terior upper part of the thorax, which is itself finely lined and grooved 
longitudinally. 
_ This species extends around the world in the northern hemisphere, 
and it is scattered in North America from ocean to ocean. Its habits 
in Europe, as reported by Dr. Auguste Forel,+ are notably different from 
_ those of the same variety t in ‘Mlinois. There it is subalpine in range, and 
; eiecmined by Mr. Theodore Pergande, of the United States Department of 
Agriculture, from a large number of specimens collected in Illinois. 
+ Les PFourmis de la Suisse. 
