72 BRITISH ANTS. 



Original description of Ponera punctatissima Roger [Berlin 

 Entom. Zeitschr. 3 246 (1859)] : 



" < Fusca, fusco-brunnea vel rubido-testacea, pube adpressa cinereo- 

 micans, mandibulis, antennis, pedibus et apice abdominis pallide rufis, palpis 

 maxillaribus uni-articulatis. Long, 3 Mm. $ Fusca, pube adpressa cinereo- 

 micans, ore, antennis, pedibus et apice abdominis pallide runs, oculis margini 

 anteriori capitis proximis. Long, 3-3J Mm." 



The ( was described by Roger as an abnormal <J, under the name 

 of Ponera androgyna, as follows : 



Original description of Ponera androgyna Roger [Berlin Entom. 

 Zeitschr. 3 246 (1859)] : 



" ^ Rubido-testacea, nitida, pube adpressa cinereo-micans, antennarum 

 scapo brevi, thorace inter meso- et metanotum sulcato, abdominis segmentis 

 longitudine aequalibus tribus, apice valvulis minutis tribus. Long, 3-3 Mm." 



Habitat. 



Ponera punctatissima is found in isolated places in England, 

 Germany, France, and Switzerland, and also in the Canary Isles 18 . 

 Three subspecies occur in Madagascar and one on Laysan Island 19 . 



Hants, S. : Portsmouth (Donisthorpe and Pool) 20 . 



Kent, E. : Whitstable (Chitty and Donisthorpe) ; Deal (Hall) 1 * ; 

 Queenborough (Walker) 17 ; Kent, W. : Bromley (Saunders)*. 



Essex, N. : Colchester 13 . 



Middlesex : London, Burton Crescent (Squire)*, Hampstead 

 Road (Mrs. Varley)*, Old Ford (Bedwell). 



Oxford : Oxford (Charsley)*. 



Gloucester, W. : Minchinhampton (Farr en-White) 11 . 



Glamorgan : Penarth (Hallett). 



Cumberland : Nutwich and Great Salkeld (Britten). 



Edinburgh : Edinburgh (Stewart) 15 . 



This species was first captured in Britain by Henry Squire in a 

 bake-house near Burton Crescent 4 , where it was again found by 

 Stokes in I860 4 , and several specimens were also taken by Mrs. 

 Varley in the kitchen of her house in Robert Street, Hampstead 

 Road 4 . Charsley next discovered it in a conservatory at Oxford 

 in June, 1877 6 , and subsequently described it, as a new species, 

 under the name of P. tarda, on account of its slow movements 7 . 

 The ants were found in the earth of a bed in the conservatory, a 

 species of Myrmica inhabiting the same bed, and living in perfect 

 harmony with the Ponera. It is probable that the Myrmica 

 referred to was Tetramorium guineense F., a species frequently 

 found in hot-houses. The Ponera had evidently been long estab- 

 lished in this conservatory, as wings and other parts of the insects 

 were found among the dust on ledges which had not been dis- 

 turbed for years. 



It appears to frequent hot-houses, and bake-houses, having 



