MYRMICA. 117 



? Very like laevinodis, sometimes a little darker ; characters as in the ^. 

 Long. 5- 4-6' 5 mm. (6-5-7 mm. teste ForeL) 



$ Very like laevinodis, a little larger on the average ; the antennae appear 

 to be a little longer, the sculpture a little stronger, and the epinotal tubercles 

 more pronounced, but laevinodis varies in these particulars. Tibiae furnished 

 with short decumbent hairs. Long, 5-6 mm. 



Original description of Myrmica ruginodis Nylander [Acta. Soc. 

 Sc. Fenn. 2 929 (1846)] : 



" Operaria : testaceo-ferruginea sparse flavo-pilosula ; capite supra, 

 abdominis dorso in medio et macula ventrali plus minus fuscescentibus ; 

 capite thoraceque longitudinaliter striatim rugulosis ; metanoto spinis binis 

 validiusculis longis ; nodis petioli rugosis. 



ty. Long. 2 lin. parum ultra. Simillima praecedenti, sed paulo major, 

 rudius fere rugosa, metanoto ante spinas longitudinaliter rugoso, spinis 

 longioribus et nodis longitudinaliter confuse, sed non profunde rugosis. 

 Clypeus supra sat late politus. Cetera ut in praecedente. 



Femina : testaceo-ferruginea sparse flavido-pilosula ; capite supra, 

 abdominis dorso medio et macula ventrali plus minus fuscescentibus ; capite 

 thoraceque longitudinaliter striatim rugulosis ; metanoti spinis longiusculis ; 

 alis hyalinis obsoletissime cinerascenti-pallescentibus, stigmate distincto 

 cinereo-fuscescente. 



$ Long, fere 2 lin. Simillima feminae praecedentis, et jam colore et spinis 

 metathoracis duplo longioribus distincta. Caput supra fuscescens, clypeo 

 fusciori, oculis atris ; infra pone oculos, mandibulis antennisque testaceo- 

 ferrugineis ; mandibulae apicibus parum fuscescentibus. Striae clypei 

 magis confusae quam in praecedente. Thorax metanoto et pleuris obsole- 

 tissime, scutello vero distinctius fuscescentibus ; spinis longiusculis. Alae 

 ut supra ; anticae long. 2| lin. Pedes toti pallide testaceo-ferruginei. Nodi 

 sicut in ^. 



Mas : nigro-fuscus nitidus parcissime tenuiter flavido-pilosulus ; man- 

 dibulis, articulationibus pedum et tarsis testaceo-pallescentibus, antennarum 

 flagellis apiceque abdominis obscure rufescentibus. 



$ Long. 2 1 lin. Mari praecedentis speciei simillimus, at paullo major, 

 robustior, capite inprimis conspicue majori, alarum stigmate distinction 

 fusciori, pedibus longe nudioribus. Caput nitidum subtiliter obsolete rugulo- 

 sum ; clypeus politus aequalis convexiusculus. Alae ut in $, anticae long. 

 2 1 lin. ; pedes tenuiter pubescentes, subnudi." 



Habitat. 



The distribution of Myrmica ruginodis in Europe is similar to 

 that of M . laevinodis, but it does not appear to range so far east in 

 Asia 30 . It is very widely distributed in the British Isles, occurring 

 as far as Caithness in the extreme north of Scotland, and is probably 

 to be found all over the country. Morice recorded it from the 

 Shetland Isles as the only ant he could find there 27 , and all ants 

 sent to me from the Shetlands by Waterston have proved to be the 

 same ; it is also abundant on St. Kilda. 



In Wales it has been found in Glamorgan, Pembroke, Carnarvon, 

 Denbigh, and Anglesey, and in Ireland in Derry, Antrim, Down, 

 Armagh, Monaghan, Donegal, Louth, Dublin, Kildare, Wexford, 

 Carlow, Westmeath, West Mayo, West and East Galway, North 

 Tipperary, Waterford, South Cork, and Kerry ; but I have no 

 records in England for North Somerset, South Wilts, Dorset, 





