MESSOB. 279 



Aphaenogaster barbara, Linn., var. punctata. Forel. Jour. As. Soc. 

 Beng. lv (1886), p. 248, . 



Note. True M. barbarus does not, so far as I know, occur 

 within our limits: the form described below is var. imtabilis. Smith, 

 identical, so far as the specimens in the British Museum <*o. with 

 specimens of var. punctata, named by Dr. Forel. 



maj. Dark shining red, the abdomen in some specimens 

 black, the scape of the antenna? and the tarsi pale. Head in 

 some specimens finely longitudinally striate, in the majority 

 smooth, with a few obsolete stria? and scattered punctures ; thorax 

 above coarsely transversely, the sides obliquely striate; legs, pedicel 



Fig. 83. Mcssor Imrbarus, var. iiisfabilis, . a. Head from front. 



and abdomen highly polished, smooth and shining ; the legs with 

 a few widely scattered punctures, nodes of the pedicel with some 

 half obsolete transverse stria? above. Pilosity almost entirely 

 wanting, reduced to a very few erect soft, not obtuse hairs on the 

 uuderside of the head and abdomen and on the thorax above. 

 Mandibles finely longitudinally striate. Metanotal spines or 

 teeth entirely wanting. For the rest the characters of the genus. 

 min. Resembles the maj., but is of course smaller ; the 

 head invariably smooth, highly polished and shining, with no trace 

 of stria and fewer punctures than in the maj. ; the sculpture of 

 the thorax much more feeble ; metanotum unarmed as in the $ maj. 

 $ . Closely resembles the $ maj., but is larger and darker, 

 almost black, the head anteriorly subopaque, longitudinally striate, 

 the posterior portion with the thorax and abdomen sparsely 

 punctured, polished and shining; the metanotum and nodes of 

 pedicel transversely striate ; wings hyaline. 



(5 . Resembles the $ , but is smaller, with a considerably 

 smaller head and proportionately larger and broader wings. 

 Pilosity and sculpture more dense than in the ; mandibles with 

 a distinct dentate masticatory margin ; antenna; long, the scape 

 half the length of the flagellum; neuration of the wings as in the j . 



Length, $ $ 4-9; ? 11-12-5; 6 7*5-8 mm. 



Hab. Recorded so far from the North-west Himalayas, and 

 from Cochin. 



319. Messor himalayanus, Forel. 



Stenamma (Messor) barbarum, race himalayanum, Forel, Rfc. 



Suisse Zool. x (1902), p. 220. 

 $ max. Black, shining, the mandibles reddish brown, the 



