274 BRITISH ANTS. 



ty Yellowish-red ; head posteriorly, a more or less distinct patch on the 

 pronotum, and sometimes a smaller one on the mesonotum, and the apex of the 

 antennae brown ; gaster brownish black, with base of first segment more or less 

 reddish ; legs yellowish-red, tibiae and tarsi darker. 



Fig. 89. Head of Formica exsecta ^. 



Head narrower than long, narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, the breadth 

 at the anterior and posterior borders being equal, deeply excised posteriorly ; 

 clypeus carinate, not emarginate anteriorly ; frontal area smooth and shining ; 

 mandibles with terminal border furnished with eight teeth, which are much 

 blunter in some specimens than in others ; maxillary palpi long, six-jointed. 

 Thorax not very convex ; constriction between mesonotum and epinotum 

 shallow, broad ; epinotum rounded. Scale not large, deeply excised. Long. 

 4-5-7-2 mm. 



$ Yellowish-red ; head posteriorly, apex of antennae, thorax (except pronotum 

 anteriorly, and epinotum) and gaster blackish brown ; legs yellowish, or brownish, 

 red. 



Characters much as in ty. Head deeply excised posteriorly ; clypeus not 

 emarginate anteriorly. Thorax : mesonotum flat. Scale larger and more 

 deeply excised than in the $. Wings yellowish, with pale brownish yellow 

 veins and pterostigma. Long. 8-9-5 mm. 



<$ Black, genitalia and legs yellowish brown, articulations of the joints 

 lighter. 



Head dull, distinctly and widely excised posteriorly ; clypeus not emarginate 

 posteriorly ; mandibles not toothed on terminal border ; maxillary palpi as 

 in and $ ; eyes large, with sparse hairs. Thorax dull. Scale short, thick, 

 with anterior border excised ; gaster shining. Wings not as yellow as in the 

 ?, with pale brownish yellow veins and pterostigma. Long. 6-5-8 mm. 

 (6-9 mm. teste Wheeler.) 



Original description of Formica exsecta Ny lander [Acta. Soc. Sc. 

 Fenn. 2 909-11 (1846)] : 



" Operaria : ferrugineo-rufa parum nitida, abdomine castaneo-atro ; 

 palpis, antennarum flagellis et vertice fuscescentibus ; occipite late emargin- 

 ato ; squama cordata, supra profunde exsecta ; pedibus sparse pilosis. 



^. Long. 2-2 lln. Parum nitida, colorata ut supra dictum ; minora 

 tamen individua verticem castaneo-fuscam, antennas fere totas et pedum 

 saltern tibias fuscescentes habent. A F. rufa, cui leviter inspecta similis 

 videtur, differt jam : mandibulis magis complanatis, occipite concavo, 

 clypeo margine inferiori magis truncate, supra vestigio carinulae medianae, 

 squama cordata h.e. ovata sursum parum latiori, supra semiovaliter excisa, 

 colore abdominis atriori, pubescentia denique corporis conspicuiori (canitie 

 sericeo-micante vix ulla). Palpi labiales articulo ultimo oblongo, longitudine 

 3 : tii. Metanotum a latere visum arcuatum. Pedes pilis sparsis obsiti ; 

 tibiis latere interior! versus apicem sparse setulosis. Segmentum anale 

 rufescens. 



Femina : testaceo-rufa flavido-pube^cens nitida ; palpis, antennis, fronte 

 cum vertice, thorace supra et abdomine castaneo-atris ; clypei disco, meso- 

 sterno et mesopleuris fuscescentibus ; occipite late emarginato ; squama 



