112 BRITISH ANTS. 



pronoto et scutello abdomineque supra et infra in medio fuscescentibus ; 

 capite thoraceque longitudinaliter striatim rugulosis ; metanoto spinis 

 brevibus validiusculis. 



$ Long. 2J lin. Sat similis operariae, sed major, obscurior, rugosior. 

 Ocelli distincti. Caput fuscum, mandibulis testaceis apicibus anguste politis 

 fuscis ; antennis testaceis articulorum flagellarium summis apicibus fusces- 

 centibus. Thorax mesonoto, mesopleuris et sterno testaceo-ferrugineis, 

 ceteroquin ferrugineo-fuscescens, spinis metanoti brevibus validiusculis, 

 subdentiformibus. Pedes toti sordide pallide-testacei, pubescentes. Nodi 

 obsolete rugulosi. Abdomen thorace fere longius et nonnihil latius, magis 

 rotundatum quam in ^, supra et in medio ventris fuscescens. (Alae in nostris 

 speciminibus desunt). 



Mas : nigro-fuscus nitidus sparse flavido-pilosulus, mandibulis tarsisque 

 pallide testaceis ; antennis, trochanteribus, tibiis et apice abdominis plus 

 minus conspicue fusco-pallescentibus ; alis hyalinis obsoletissime cineras- 

 centi-pallescentibus, stigmate obsolete cinerascente. 



cJ. Long. 2 lin. Fusco-niger nitidus, capite parum opaciori. Caput obso- 

 letissime tenuiter striatulum vel rugulosum, parvum. Palpi et mandibulae 

 testaceae, hae rufescentes apicibus subseptem-denticulatis. Antennae 

 fuscae, flagellis saltern sordide rufescentibus ; scapus tertiam partem totius 

 antennae fere excedens, longitudine prope articulorum 7 sequentium flagelli ; 

 articuli antennarum numero sunt 13. Oculi valde prominuli ; ocelli dis- 

 tincti. Thorax altus nitidus suturis fere omnibus crenatis ; metathorax 

 tuberculo subangulari utrinque. Alae hyalinae inprimis a stigmate versus 

 basin obsoletissime cinereo-pallescentes, nervis et stigmate dilute cinerascenti- 

 pallidis ; area anticarum unica discoidali subrectangulari, nervo radiali 

 nervum transversum apicalem areae primae cubitalis decussante et vel in 

 medio hujus areae desinente vel rarius totam hanc aream percurrente ; anticae 

 long, fere 2J lin. Nodi et abdomen nitida. Pedes articulationibus et tarsis 

 totis pallide testaceis, tibiis interdum fusco-pallescentibus, tenuiter longiuscule 

 pilosi." 



Habitat. 



Myrmica laevinodis occurs in North and Central Europe, further 

 south in mountains, North Asia to East Siberia and Manchuria, 

 also in Japan 25 , and a variety, probably introduced, is found in 

 Massachusetts 27 . It is very widely distributed in the British Isles, 

 occurring as far north as Elgin, in Scotland, whence I have also 

 records from Dumfries, Ayr, Haddington, Linlithgow, Fife, Kinross, 

 South, Mid, and North Perth, Easterness, Clyde Isles, the Mid- 

 Ebudes and West Ross ; in Ireland from Antrim, Down, Armagh, 

 Monaghan, Donegal, Meath, Dublin, West Galway, Limerick, North 

 Tipper ary, South Cork, and Kerry ; and in Wales from Glamorgan, 

 Pembroke, and Denbigh ; but I have no records in England for 

 South Wilts, Herts, Bedford, Northampton, East Gloucester, 

 Stafford, Salop, Derby, Mid-Lancashire, South-east, and Mid-west 

 Yorkshire, Cumberland, and Northumberland. 



This species prefers to dwell in moist and shady places, nesting 

 under stones, in decayed logs, etc., sometimes making earth 

 mounds, and also inhabiting fields and cultivated land. 



M. laevinodis with the exception of M. ruginodis is the most 



