NEW SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN ANTS 21 



second to fourth as broad as long, rest longer than broad. Epinotal declivity 

 just longer than the dorsum. 



Beech Forest, Vict. 



17. Prolasius flavicornis var. minor, new variety. 



Worker : 



Length: 3 5mm. 



Differs very little from the type. The colour is lighter. First segment of 

 the funiculus" is longer than the "two following, but certainly not as long as the 

 three following together. 



Collected by W. M, Wheeler. Habitat : Sherbrooke Forest, Vic. 



Type in the National Museum of Vic 



18. Prolasius flavidisais, new species. (Plate I, figs. 20-21). 



Worker : 



Length : 3 4-3 6mm. 



Dark almost blackish brown; legs, antenna' more reddish brown. The colour 

 varies somewhat, some species being almost black, some have COXK and articula- 

 tions of the antennas dark yellow, some have the body a reddish brown. 



Shining but with small shallow punctures throughout, almost reticulate, more 

 noticeable on the pronotum and back of head where there are rough little 

 clusters of punctures. 



Hair yellow, long, erect, and confined to the -aster and the clypens. Pubescence 



yellowish, abundanl on the antenna and Legs. 



Head slie'htlv Longer than broad, sides slightly convex, occipital border almosl 

 straight, corners broadly rounded. .Mandibles triangular furnished with live 

 stron-' teeth Clypeus produced to a blunt point, faintly carinated. Frontal 

 area broadly triangular. Frontal carina' slightly diverging behind There i is 



a faint frontal groove stretching beyond the eyes. Scapes extend beyond lh< 

 ■icipital border by mart (ban a third of their length. F%rst segment oj tht 

 funiculus longer than the two following together, rest Longer than broad, the 



apical longer' than the two preceding taken together. Byes circular, convex. 

 placed a little behind the centre of the sides. Ocelli very small. 



Thorax a little more than twice as long as broad. Pronotum slightly broader 

 than long, strongly convex, twice as broad as the rest of Hie thorax. Mesonotum 

 one quarter longer than broad, with the sides almost straight. Epinotnm as 

 Ion" as broad, broader behind than in front. In profile the pronotum and 

 mesonotum form an even rather ilat convexity. The epinotum slightly convex, 

 raised behind, and higher than the mesonotum. The epinotal declivity straighl 

 and nearly twice as long as the dorsum. . 



The node is thorn like, transversely convex. In profile it is sharply pointed, 

 with the anterior face convex, and posterior face straight. Legs rather sturdy. 



Female -. 



Length: 5 2mm. 



The colour is of the worker, but with this noticeable different — on the dorsum 

 of the mesonotum, there is a large disc of bright yellow with a small spot of 

 dark red in the centre. _ _ 



The sculpture is coarser especially on the gaster. The pilosity similar to that 

 of the worker but pubescence is found on the thorax and head. Head much 

 the same as worker's but the clypeus is clearly carinated, the scapes slightly 

 shorter. Eyes and ocelli large and convex. 



Pronotum almost hidden, the mesonotum large and strongly convex in all 

 directions, the parapsidal furrows not reaching the centre of the sides of the 



