438 Mr. W. C. Crawley on 
In addition, the new variety is uniformly darker in colour 
than typical coriarius (Clark, no. 10). 
Type W. C. C. coll. 
Mayr originally described coriarius as a species, but later 
authors have considered it a race of ruficeps. It should 
rank as a species for the following reasons :—There has 
been a certain amount of confusion among authors, owing 
to the brevity of Smith’s description of ruficeps. I have 
recently examined the type, of which I give a description 
below, and there is no doubt that Smith’s description has 
led to errors. The shape of the head is quite unlike that 
of coriarius, being somewhat long and only slightly wider in 
front than behind. Further, the preapical tooth is nearly 
Fig. 2. Fig. 1. 
Dt 
Fig. 1.— Mandible of O. cortarius, var. obscura, nov. 
Fig. 2.—Mandible of O. cortarius, Mayr. 
as long as the apical, and is not sharply truncate, as in 
coriarius (vide fig. 2). Smith in his description says the teeth 
are “stout and blunt,’’? which hardly conveys the appearance 
of the teeth in the type. In fact, Forel, relying on these 
words, has described a race of ruficeps, which he called 
acutidens (Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg. xliv. p. 56, 1900). As a 
further result of the examination of Smith’s type and the 
discovery of a % major of acutidens, the latter will have to 
rank as a species. 
Odontomachus ruficeps, Smith. (Fig. 3.) 
Type (British Museum). 
8. Length (without mandibles) 12°8 mm.; mandibles 
22mm. Length of head 3°7 mm. ; width of eyes 2°8 mm.; 
width at occiput 2°1 mm. 
Colour ferruginous. 
Mandibles toothed along inner border with 9-10 small 
teeth. Apical tooth shghtly longer than preapical (vide fig. 3). 
Head not greatly wider in front than behind. 
Spine of node slightly curved backwards. Node in profile 
straight in front, rounded behind. 
q 
