A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. . 47 



pubescence, and with golden-red hairs on the inner margin of the 

 mandibles, the clypeus and apical abdominal segment. The latter 

 is ferruginous at the apex. The apex of last joint of flagellum, the 

 spines of the tarsi, and the calcaria also ferruginous. The apices of 

 the dorsal segments of the abdomen dark ferruginous. 



Mandibles very strongly curved, the convexity being dorsal, two- 

 thirds as long as the head from clypeus to occiput, and shallowly 

 and sparsely punctured. A carina extends on the cheek from the 

 anterior margin of the eye to the clypeus. 



Head, pro- and mesonotum and abdomen moderately shining, and 

 the whole body impunctate. The pronotum has a longitudinal 

 central impressed line anteriorly. The dorsum of the epinotum is 

 flat, with a faint longitudinal impression centrally, and widens 

 towards the brow of the declivity, which bears on each side a blunt 

 prominence (hardly a tooth) ; the declivity is somewhat excavated 

 and vertical. Mesapleurae, epinotum, and node of petiole duller 

 than the rest of the body. 



Antennae reach back as far as the base of the 1st abdominal 

 segment ; scape as long as the head from the clypeus to the occiput, 

 thickened and flattened towards the apex; 2nd joint of the flagellum 

 longest, but not quite twice as long as the first. 

 $ minor, 9-11 mm. =M. crassicomis , Gerst. 



It differs from the $ major in being considerably smaller and 

 less pubescent. The abdomen, the vertex of the head, the pro- 

 and mesonotum are much more shining than in the larger form. 

 It also differs by the thicker and shorter scape, which is widest 

 in the middle, and by the node of the petiole, which is less acute 

 dorsally. 



Nevertheless small examples are met with which are just as 

 pubescent and dull as the larger sort. 



$ . 12 mm. Black, the apical margins of all the abdominal 

 segments widely ferruginous. The dorsum of the epinotum is 

 short, not longer than the pronotum, and only slightly indented 

 at the apex centrally. Wings short and narrow, fuscous, with the 

 apical half darker, the nervures light brown, the stigma, costa, and 

 whole of the marginal cell dark brown. Third, 4th, and 5th ventral 

 segments of the abdomen with dense golden fimbriae. For the rest 

 the characters of the genus. 



Formerly the small workers were separated as a distinct species, 

 crassicomis Gerst., but the two forms are found together in the same 

 nest, and the distinction cannot therefore be maintained. It is a 

 common ant in Ehodesia, and lives almost exclusively on termites, 



