340 FORMICIDJE. 



punctate ; the posterior margin of the pronotum, the scutellum, 

 postscutellum, node of the pedicel above, base and sides of the 

 abdomen and the dorsal surface of the apical four segments covered 

 with remarkably long pale yellow hair, erect, curled and tufted on 

 the pronotum, scutellum and node of the pedicel, and recumbent 

 on the abdomen. Head without the mandibles square, remarkably 

 broad and transverse across the occiput. Thorax narrower than 

 the head, oval, moderately massive, the pronotum vertical, forming 

 no part of the dorsum ; the mesonotum large, slightly convex ; 

 the metanotum rounded with a moderate slope to the apex. Node 

 of the pedicel laminate, broadly oval ; abdomen oval, massive, very 

 convex above. 



Length^ 8'5 mm. 



Hiib. Recorded so far only from Kashmir. 



Described from the type (a $ ) in the British Museum. The $ 

 and 3 are unknown, hence this species T has not been entered in 

 the key to the species. 



389. Lasius himalayanus, Fur el. 



Lasius niger, Linn., race brunneus, Latr., var. himalayanus, Forel, 

 Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. viii (1894), p. 404, $ . 



. Dark reddish brown, with an extremely minute silky pubes- 

 cence giving the insect a shiny glabrous appearance ; the mandibles, 

 clypeus, anterior half of the cheeks, antennae and legs yellowish 

 brown ; pilosity almost entirely wanting, represented only by a 

 few scattered, very short, erect pale hairs. Head much wider 

 posteriorly than in front, broad and transverse across the occiput ; 

 mandibles stout, subtriangular, pruinose ; the masticatory margin 

 minutely dentate, the apical tooth not long or curved ; clypeus 

 proportionately large, convex and distinctly medially carinate ; 

 antennae somewhat short, the scape barely extending beyond the 

 top of the head. Thorax short and stout, the basal portion of the 

 metanotum flat, very short, only about one-quarter the length of 

 the obliquely truncate apical portion, which is broad and flat. 

 Node of the pedicel low, slightly convex anteriorly ; abdomen very 

 large and massive, strongly convex above. 



Length, $ 3-3-5 mm. 



Hal. N.W. Himalayas, 6000 to 9000 ft. 



Dr. Forel considers this and the succeeding species mere 

 varieties of the European L. brunnetts, Latr. ; but L. himalayanus 

 seems to me a much more stoutly built insect with a shorter- 

 broader metanotum than Latreille's species, while both L. himalay- 

 anus and L. alieno-brunneus can be distinguished from that species 

 at a glance by the longitudinal furrow on the front of the head. 



390. Lasius alieno-brunneus, Forel. 



Lasius niger, Linn., race brunneus, Latr., var. alieno-brunneus. 

 Ford, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. viii (1894), p. 404, g . 



$ . Closely resembles L. himalayanus, Forel, but is a distinctly 



