1921] Wheeler: Some Social Beetles 47 



defoliated or had had large semicircular pieces bitten out of their 

 leaflets by Atta workers. I have no doubt that these ants would 

 cai-efully refrain from thus injuring larger Tachigalias in the 

 possession of well-developed Pseudomyrma colonies. In all prob- 

 ability the smaller leaf-cutters of the genus Acromyrmex, not 

 uncommon in the same locality, may also occasionally visit and 

 defoliate the young trees, but this was not actually observed. 



2. Attendants of Homoptera. The terminal shoots of young 

 plants are often infested with a small brown Membracid in all 

 stages (Endoastus (?) productiis Osborn) and peculiar flat Mem- 

 bracid nymphs (probably belonging to the genus Microcentrus, 

 according to Osborn) the piercing mouthparts of which leave on 

 the surfaces of the petioles permanent scars that may perhaps 

 serve later as convenient points for the beetles and queen ants 

 to bore into the enlargements. At least four species of ants 

 were taken in attendance on these Membracids: Camponotns 

 femoratus Fabr., Crematogaster limata parablotica Forel, Ecta- 

 tomma tuhercnlatuni Oliv. and DoUchoderus attelaboides Fabr. 

 The first two were the most frequentlj^ encountered and belong 

 to another interesting biocoenose, that of the "ant-gardens," 

 which I have described in a recent paper (1921), the last two 

 were of more sporadic occurrence. A few notes on their habits 

 are recorded in Zoologica, Vol. Ill, No. 4. 



3. Inquilines. These comprise no less than sixteen different 

 forms, representing thirteen species, belonging to the genera 

 Neoponera, Leptothorax, Crematogaster, Allomerns, Solenopsis, 

 Pheidole, Camponotiis and Brachymyrmex. Most of them are 

 small and all are timid and nonaggressive species which never 

 keep coccids, and are more frequently found in other situations, 

 especially in the dead twigs and branches of various shrubs and 

 trees. And most or all of them merely take possession of peti- 

 oles that have been previously perforated, inhabited and aban- 

 doned by other ants or by the social beetles. The inquiline ants, 

 moreover, are confined to the young Tachigalias growing in the 

 shade. Although the number of them I have collected is con- 

 siderable and although they represent very diverse genera and 

 even subfamilies, it is certain that further search, especially in 

 other localities, will greatly increase the number, for the petiolar 

 cavities of TachigaUa are sufficiently commodious to accomodate 



