388 FOBMICIDJE. 



454. Polyrhachis furcata, Smith, Cat. \\ (1858), p. 64, pi. 4, fig. 20, 



$ ; Ford, Jom: Bomb. N. H. Soc. viii (1893), pp. 25 & 33, . 



% . Black, the apical half of the flagellum of the antennae and 



the legs and abdomen castaneous ; head and abdomen polished and 



shining ; thorax and node of the pedicel very coarsely punctured. 



Thoracic and pedicel spines slender; pronotal spines pointing 



Fig. lyj. 



forward and outward and curved slightly downward ; metanotal 

 spines much longer than the pronotal spines, erect and slightly 

 curved backward. Node of pedicel columnar, with two long 

 spines rising above it like the lateral branches of a Y, their 

 apical half curved backward, downward and slightly outward. 



Length, 4*5-5'5 mm. 



Halt. Assam (Smj/thies) ; Burma ; Tenasserim (Fea, ffodr/son, 

 Bine/ham). 



The colour is variable in this species ; some have the legs nearly 

 black, and the majority of specimens have the abdomen jet-black. 

 Var. tenella, Forel, has the spines on the node of the pedicel 

 enormously long. 



455. Polyrhachis gracilior, Forel. 



Polyrachis furcata, race gracilior, Forel, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. viii 

 (1893), pp. 25 & 33, $ . 



. Resembles P. furcata, Smith, but is much smaller and the 

 thoracic and pedicel spines are different. Rufous brown ; head 

 black, scape of the antennae for the greater part of its length from 

 base fuscous black ; head and abdomen highly polished, shining ; 

 thorax and node of pedicel coarsely punctured, but not so coarsely 

 as in P. furcata. Pronotal spines proportionately much shorter 

 than in the above species ; metanotal spines similar. Xode of the 

 pedicel not columnar, broader than long, with two long slender 

 spines rising from the upper lateral angles and curved so as to 

 embrace the abdomen. 



Length, $ 4-4*5 mm. 



Hob. Travancore (Ferguson) ; Assam (Lonrf). 



Dr. Forel considers this species simply a race of P. furcata, but 

 the shape of the spines on the pedicel, which is constant, serves to 

 distinguish it at a glance. 



