22 Annals of the South African Museum. 



Section PEOPONEEINAE, Emery. 

 Teibe PLATYTHYKEINI, Emery. 



Comprising only the following genus. 



Genus PLATYTHYEEA, Eoger. 

 Berlin Ent. Zeitschr., vol. 7, p. 172, 1863. 



Characters. 



$ . Whole body finely punctured, covered with a pruinose pubes- 

 cence. Clypeus flat and indistinctly defined posteriorly ; frontal 

 area generally indistinct ; frontal carinae widely separated, thick 

 and dilated in front. Mandibles triangular, with the masticatory 

 edge large, finely dentate or without teeth. Maxillary palps 6-jointed, 

 labial palps 4-jointed. Antennae 12-jointed, eyes moderately large, 

 no ocelli. The pro-mesothoracic suture slightly mobile, the rest of the 

 thorax completely fused together. Petiole large but not squamiform, 

 narrowly articulated to the 1st abdominal segment at about the 

 centre of the latter, the abdominal constriction not very deep. Middle 

 and posterior tibiae with two calcaria ; claws unidentate. 



?. Winged; resembling the worker but slightly larger; eyes 

 larger and ocelli present : pronotum large, mesonotum depressed. 



$ . Clypeus more convex than in the $ ; frontal carinae not 

 dilated in front ; mandibles triangular. Antennae 13-jointed, scape 

 slightly shorter than the 3rd joint. Eyes and ocelli very large. 



Pronotum large, not covered by the mesonotum, the latter not very 

 convex, and with Mayrian furrows indistinct. Wings with 2 cubital 

 cells. Petiole as in the £ . Pygidium rounded, cerci present. 



Key to the % % of Platythyrea. 



(10). 1. Dorsum of mesonotum as high as, or higher than the epinotum ; con- 

 striction between the 1st and 2nd abdominal segments moderate. 



(7). 2. Node of petiole with the posterior dorsal margin produced on each side 

 into a more or less distinct tooth. 



(4). 3. Larger species, 14-16"5 mm. Whole body black . . cribrinodis, Gerst. 



(3). 4. Smaller species, less than 10 mm., legs and antennae red. 



(6). 5. Posterior dorsal margin of node with a median rounded tooth, longer 

 than the lateral angles ; puncturation feeble, 7 mm. 



Mocquerysi, Emery, var. matopoensis, Arnold. 



(5). 6. Posterior dorsal margin of node without a median rounded tooth •, 

 puncturation moderately strong, 8-5-9 "5 mm Schultzei, Forel. 



(2). 7. Node of petiole without lateral dorsal teeth on the posterior margin. 



