MANN: \\ T8 «>| | ill. I Ml ISLANDS. 



171 



the rounded basal pari of blades, indistinctly denticulate. Clypeue nearly 

 flat, straighl at middle of anterior border. Antenna! scape lightly surpass- 

 ing occipital corners; funicular joints all longer than broad, those apically 

 becoming Bhorter and thicker; terminal joinl not bo long ae the two preceding 

 joints together. Eyes little convex, situated in front of sides of head .-it b 

 distance from base of mandibles equal to more than twice their longitudinal 

 diameter. Median ocellus distinct. Pronotum as long as broad, narrowed in 

 front, broadest behind middle, in profile feebly convex. Mesonotum Longer 

 than broad, rather flat behind, basally with a pair of prominent spiracular 

 tubercles. Mesoepinotal impression deep. Base of epinotum rather fla1 above, 

 a little longer than t he declivity and broadly rounding into it. Petiolar node 

 sh.ut and thick, posterior surface straight, anterior surface sloping, the top 

 triangular and submargined. Legs long and slender. 



Fig. 27. — Iridomyrmex nagasau Mann. Worker. Lateral view of thorax and petiole. 



Gaster shining, the remainder less strongly shining. Mandibles at basal 

 half coarsely punctate. Head, thorax, abdomen, and appendages densely 

 but very finely punctate, and covered with fine pubescence, which is most 

 abundant on the head. Stiff, erect, and moderately long pilosity moderately 

 abundant on head, body, and appendages. 



Fuscopiceous, mandibles reddish; funiculus lighter; tarsi yellowish white. 

 Pubescence yellowish; pilosity black. 



Taviuni: Xagasau. 



Described from numerous workers taken in the forest on the 

 MacKenzie estate. All the colonies that I found were in the bulbs of a 

 Myrmecodia growing on high trees and each of these plants that I was 

 able to examine contained ants. One bulb had been left on the ground 

 for a week, on a planter's assumption that it was an orchid, so that 

 the ants would leave, but on examination proved to still shelter 

 part of a large colony. 



The structure of the petiole, thick basally and strongly narrowed at 

 apical third, is distinctive. Type. — M. C. Z. 8,713. 



