386 A New Genus of 



remainder; fourth and fifth together short, in the posterior as long as the 

 second. Claws small, slender, strongly arcuate, with a small, vertical, 

 obtusely pointed tooth near the base. 



The five-jointed tarsi would seem to point to a relationship 

 with the Aleocharae, but the maxillary palpi and abdomen isolate 

 it widely from every type of that group which I have been able to 

 examine. The large, white abdomen is probably very extensible, 

 and while moving amongst the Termites, the insect must be dif- 

 ficult to distinguish from them without close examination; in 

 fact we have here a very interesting case of mimicry. 



The articulations are all composed of this delicate and very 

 extensible white membrane, so that in the dried state the speci- 

 men is extremely fragile. 



The genera Corotoca and Spirachtha of Schiodte also have the 

 widely distended semi-membranous abdomen here described, and 

 the former seems to possess some characters in common with 

 Termitogaster, the principal points of resemblance apparently 

 lying in the antennal and tarsal structure; Spirachtha, however, 

 is widely different in nearly all its characters and need not con- 

 cern us at present. 



The basal joint of the tarsi in both Corotoca and Termitogaster 

 is very much more elongate than the others. In the latter the 

 fourth joint is short and rigidly anchylosed with the fifth, although 

 the suture and the emarginations above and beneath are very 

 strongly marked, and could not possibly escape observation if 

 examined, and, as Schiodte ascribes but four joints to the tarsi 

 of Corotoca, either this 'fact must have been overlooked or the 

 tarsi are really different in structure in spite of their similarity 

 in general form. 



The divergencies of structure are, however, fully as marked 

 as the resemblances. The maxillary palpi of Corotoca are very 

 different in form, the first joint being minute, the second clavate, 

 the third subglobose, and the fourth small and cylindrical, with 

 the apex obtuse; the eyes, also, are very large and reniform, and 

 the mandibles edentate. 



T. insolens n. sp.— Anterior portions slender; abdomen \'ery strongly 

 inflated; piceous-brown, pronotum black, under surface, legs and chiti- 

 nous portions of abdomen pale brown, membranous portions pure white. 

 Head much shorter and narrower than the prothorax; front tumid 



