OUR ANTS. 41 



says : — "" About 4 years ago at Khurda I saw some leaves of some 



" lime trees curled up. On looking, I found in one leaf a large 



" green ant, entirely covered in with a web on all sides ; she seemed 



" to be sitting on white specks." On further search I found a 



" second in a similar position. I saw no other ants on the tree." An 



exactly similar account was sent me from Ceylon by Major Yerbury 



together with the nest and ? .* Mr. de Niceville has recorded the fact 



that this ant attends the larva of the lyc^enid butterfly LyccenestJics 



emolus. 



Gen. 5. Prenolepis (Mayr), 



The absence of ocelli in this and the next genus differentiates 



them from Aeantholepis ; in all three the insertion of the antenucB 



is at the lower (or anterior) extremity of the antennal groove. In 



Prenolep's the knot of the petiole is quadrangular or cuneiform ; 



there is only one form of ^ , which varies little in size. The form 



of the i is of considerable importance in distinguishing the various 



species of Prenolepis. 



42. P. tongicornis (Latr. ), 



Poena Districts (9/60c? 9). 



Kanara ...E. H. Aitken. 



C. Provinces J. A. Betham. 



Burma ,..,, Major Bingham. 



Sunderbuns Robt. Ellis. 



Travancore H. S. Ferguson^ 



Thana Districts » F. Gleadow. 



Kondmals, Orissa Jas, Taylor. 



Upper Burma E. Y. Watson. 



Ceylon Major Yerbury. 



Barrackporej Madras G. A. J. Rothncy. 



This small, long-legged, black ant is the bungalow ant par 

 excellence, though it is also extremely common away from human 

 habitations. As the above list shows, it is found throughout India. 

 Herr Moens, who studied this species in Batavia, records that he 

 found ^* a small Blatta " living with it in its nest ; he speaks of it as 

 found *' more rarely in houses;" its place as " bungalow ant " being 

 taken by Plagiolepis longipes (Jerdon). Its senses are very acute, 

 and it is always the first to find any eatables left about. E. H. A, 



* Since the above was written Mr. Aitken has recorded a similar experience in 

 the pages of this Journal. 



(5 



