Species of British Formicidce. 127 



I feel pretty certain of this species being Latreille's, since it 

 not only agrees in colour, but also in having the first node of 

 the abdomen elongated into a petiole, and in not being toothed 

 beneath. 



Sp. 10. Myrmica fugax. 



Operaria. — Minuta, pallide flavescens, lasvis, nitida ; antennarum 

 clava flagelli biarticulata j metathorace declivi mutico, pedibus 

 pallesceniibus; abdomine medio supra subfasciatim fuscescente. 



Formica fugax, Latr. Hist. Nat, Fourm., p. 2G5. 

 Mijrmica Jlavidula, Nyland. Addit. Adno. Mon. Form., p. 

 43, 12? 



Worker. — Length :^-l lin. Head and thorax of a pale reddish 

 yellow, the abdomen usually having a dark obscure fascia, and 

 a similar spot on the front of the head, towards the insertion 

 of the antennae; sometimes entirely very pale yellow, particularly 

 the smaller specimens. Head elongate, the sides nearly parallel, 

 slightly widest at the eyes, which are very minute and black ; the 

 club of the flagellum composed of two joints, the apical joint 

 thrice the length of the first, conical, and very acute at the apex; 

 the antenna; slightly pubescent. Thorax : rounded anteriorly, 

 slightly strangulated between the meso-and nietathorax, the latter 

 obliquely declined posteriorly, not having the slightest tubercle or 

 tooth ; the first node wider than the second, somewhat pear- 

 shaped, the second globose; abdomen oblong-ovate, and the entire 

 insect highly polished and shining. 



I have not yet obtained British examples of the other sexes : I 

 possess females sent to me by M. INIayr of Vienna ; these very 

 closely resemble the female of M. cccspitum, but are only 1§ of a 

 line in length, being of a very dark brown-black ; the mandibles, 

 antennae and legs are pale rufo-testaceous, and the wings hyaline. 



This minute species was not known as a British insect until 

 the autumn of 1851, when I discovered a colony under ground, on 

 the shore below Southend. The habit of the species appears to 

 be subterraneous ; I visited the spot daily at all hours, but never 

 saw one above ground, but by digging I could always find them ; 

 visiting the spot at night was attended with the same results ; 

 some of the chambers, at the depth of six inches, contained pupae 

 of males and females, but I failed in bringing them to maturity 

 in an artificial situation. 



