AMMOCH/ET.E. 201 



seem to indicate that these are at least subgenerically distinct from 

 the American forms. It may be advisable, therefore, to reinstate 

 for the palearctic members of the genus the name Cataglypliis 

 published by Foerster in 1850. The name Myrmecocystus, estab- 

 lished in 1838 by Wesmael for mexicanus, would then comprise 

 the American species. 



Meloplwrus Lubbock. — This interesting genus embraces three 

 subgenera : Melophorus s. str., Prolasins Forel and LasiopJianes 

 Emery, all peculiar to the southern hemisphere. Many of the 

 species of Meloplwrus proper resemble Myrmecocystus. In M. 

 bagoti Lubbock and M. wheeleri Forel, which inhabit the most 

 arid portions of Australia and have dimorphic workers (M. bagoti, 

 at least, being a honey ant, as Lubbock has shown !), the ammo- 

 chaetse are highly developed and all the series are present, even 

 to the tuft on the mentum. The gular series are longer and 

 more abundant than in the American species of Myrmecocystus. 

 These hairs are less developed in M. iridescens Emery, ceneovir- 

 ens Lowne, curtus Forel, hirtus Forel, and ludius Forel, as I have 

 found from an examination of specimens of all of these forms in 

 Professor Forel's collection. In M. nitidissimus Andre and for- 

 micoides Forel all the series of ammochsetae are inconspicuous, so 

 that these forms may be taken to represent a transition to the 

 Lasiophanes species of Chile and Prolasius advena F. Smith of 

 New Zealand, which are not deserticolous and have no promi- 

 nent hairs on the lower surface of the head and mandibles. 



Subfamily Dolichoderiinle. 

 Dorymyrmex Roger. — This peculiarly American genus is the 

 only one of the Dolichoderine subfamily in which I have found 

 ammochsetae. A single species, D. pyramicus Roger, with at 

 least three varieties {iiiger Pergande, flavus McCook and bicolor 

 Wheeler) is widely distributed through the subtropical and trop- 

 ical portions of both continents. It lives exclusively in dry soil 

 or sand, preferably in the latter. More numerous species occur 

 in the dry regions of Argentina, Patagonia and Chile, which 

 probably represent the original home of the genus. Several of 

 these species (D. planidens Mayr, mucronatus Emery, tener Mayr 

 and baeri Andre) have well-developed ammochaetae especially on 



