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DESCEIPTION OF A REMAEKABLE TERMITOPHILOUS 



ISOPOD. 



By W. F. Puecell, Ph.D., 



First Afssistant in the South African Museum. 



The three specimens of the curious Crustacean described in this 

 paper were discovered by Dr. Hans Brauns in the galleries of a 

 Termite, which he identified as Hodotermes viator. 



Dr. Brauns pointed out to me the resemblance between this Crus- 

 tacean and a .South African Staphylinid beetle, Trilohitideus mirahilis 

 Raffr. (Revue d'Entomologie, v. 18, pp. 1-3, pi. 1, figs. 1-7, 1899), 

 which was discovered by Mr. Raffray and Dr. Brauns in the nests of 

 the ant Dorylus helvolus L. This resemblance is truly remarkable, 

 especially as regards the form and sculpturing of the head and the 

 2 anterior thoracic segments. 



Gen. PHYLLONISCUS n. g. 



Body very broad, lightly convex in the middle portion but strongly 

 expanded and deplanate laterally. Head semicircular, foliaceous, 

 strongly expanded horizontally towards the front and sides, its width 

 being three-fourths that of the first thoracic segment, its anterior 

 margin entire and evenly convex between the sharp lateral angles. 

 Eyes absent. Inner branches of first maxillae with 2 very unequal 

 pencilli near apex on inner side, the distal one being very much 

 shorter than the proximal one. Antennae, when at rest and folded, 

 completely covered and hidden by the broad head (as in fig. 2), the 

 flagellum very short, 4- jointed. Legs short and, excepting the anal 

 pair, completely covered by the tergites. Anal legs with the basal 

 segment broad, flattened, parallel-sided, transversely truncated at 

 the apex, the outer half of which is sinuated for the reception of the 

 exopodite ; exopodite produced for half its length beyond the apex 

 of the penultimate abdominal segment, terete, stylet-shaped, the 

 endopodite lamelliform, quadrate, narrowed at the base but expand- 

 ing slightly towax'ds the truncated apex, which bears a minute 



