MYRMEOOPHILOUS NOTES FOR 1918. 21 



Myrmecophilous Notes for 1918. 



By H. DONISTHOEPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 {Concluded from page 5.) 



Acanthoniyops (Donisthorpea) nii/er L. — This common species 

 occurred in great abundance everywhere in the New Forest, occupying 

 many situations under stones and in banks, etc., formerly inhabited by 

 Leptothorax interruptus, Tapinoiiia erraticuin, etc. I regai'd this ant as 

 a great pest, and Dr. K. C. L. Perkins tells me his experience is the 

 same in Devonshire ; as when he had moved a stone over a nest of 

 Ponera, or Leptothorax tuherum, etc., it was always taken possession of 

 by the wretched niger. 



The Myriapod Polyxeniis lagurus was found in several niger nests 

 in the Forest. A marriage flight took place near Beaulieu Road 

 Station, on July 28th, in the afternoon. 



Marriage flights of niger were observed on August 7th, at Charing 

 Cross, on the Embankment, and at Putney ; and again at Putney on 

 August 20th. On the last occasion a sparrow was observed catching 

 and devouring the winged female ants, leaving their wings on the 

 ground. 



On August 22nd, 1917, I captured a niger 2 at Putney, which had 

 removed her wings after the marriage flight, and placed her in a small 

 plaster nest. She laid eggs in a few days, which hatched, but died 

 when the nest got too dry. Eggs were laid again in September, which 

 hatched ; six small larv^ being present on January 1st, 1918. April 

 14th, larvae larger, and a few eggs present. May 27th, three naked 

 pupae, small larvae, and eggs present. June 16th, a ^ hatched, which 

 was eaten by the ? . June 26th, another ^ hatched. June 27th5 

 two ^ ^ now present. Gave them some honey, the first food given to 

 the ? since she was captured. The $ and both ^ ^ fed at the honey 

 together. June 30th, 2 considerably swollen. July 7th, fresh eggs 

 laid, twelve small larvae, ? and two ^ ^ , well. August 1st, nine 

 small cocoons and fourteen larvfe present. August 11th, one of the 

 two ^ ^ dead. August 25th, five new ^ ^ hatched, five cocoons, 

 twenty larvae, and a few eggs present. September 22nd, eleven ^ '^ , 

 twelve larvae and some eggs present. November 7th, the 2 and eleven 

 g ^ well, and fourteen medium larvae present. Some of the eggs and 

 some larvae were used as food by the 2 , and also by the ^ ^ . 



A. (D.) alienus Forst. — Hallet discovered this ant at Wallasey, in 

 Cheshire, in April ; a new county record for the species. 



Formica riifa. — An interesting nest of this ant was observed near 

 Holiday Hill, in the New Forest, on July 29th, which was situated all 

 round a gate post. The materials of the nest were piled right up to, 

 and on, the top of the post, and the space between the post and the 

 gate was also filled with the same. Part of the post was hollow, and 

 this, and the cracks in the post were also packed with pine needles, 

 bits of stick, etc., etc., and a continuous stream of ants kept bringing 

 up further materials. ^ g and dealated 2 2 of Leptothorax acer- 

 vorum were running about on the post among the ritfa ^ ^ , and in 

 and out of the cracks. Numerous examples of the Bracon Elasmosoma 

 herolinensis, and also $ c? of the Dipteron Ceratopogon myrmecophilus, 

 were hovering over the ants and the nest. I have nearly always found 

 these two insects present at the same time over rufa nests, though I do 

 February 15th, 1919. 



