A Monograph of the Formiciclae of South Africa. 7 



In many species of the larger Ponerinae no winged females have 

 ever been discovered, from which it may be assumed that the 

 functions of the female are usurped by one or more of the workers. 

 Where winged females occur, they are seldom much larger than the 

 workers. 



The larvae of the Formicidae, like those of all the Aculeate 

 Hymenoptera, are legless grubs. The larva has a small head and 

 thirteen segments. Three of these belong to the thorax, and the 

 rest to the petiole plus the abdomen. The mouth-parts of the larva 

 consist of a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillae, and an unpaired 

 labium. The spinning glands, with which the larva spins its cocoon, 

 open on little papillae situated on the labium. Eyes are entirely 

 absent. In some species the larvae are naked, but usually are pro- 

 vided with chitinous hairs which vary very considerably in their 

 structure and arrangement according to the species. The hairs may 

 be simple pointed setae, or plumose, furcate, serrate, or ramose. 

 They prevent the larvae from lying in direct contact with the moist 

 soil of the nest, and also help to hold the young ones together in 

 packets, thereby enabling the nurses to transport large numbers 

 from place to place with little trouble. In addition to the hairs, 

 some larvae, especially of the Ponerinae, have tubercles on some or 

 all of the segments. In Ponera some of the segments are provided 

 with pairs of dorsal tubercles, secreting a glutinous substance which 

 serves to attach the larva to the walls of the nest. 



In the Dolichoderinae, Camponotinae, and some of the Myrmicinae, 

 the larvae are fed with liquid food regurgitated by the workers. In 

 the Dorylinae, Ponerinae, and some of the Myrmicinae on the other 

 hand, the larvae are nearly always fed with pieces of solid food, 

 which in the case of the two former families is nearly almost 

 invariably animal matter {Dorylus orientalis, which feeds on the 

 soft bark of plants, is a notable exception). Possibly Ponera 

 sennaarensis, Mayr, is also an exception to the rule : this ant preys 

 unceasingly on termites, but its nest very often contains considerable 

 accumulations of grass seeds, which may perhaps be used as food. 



The economic value of the Ponerinae in tropical countries can 

 hardly be overestimated, for it may be safely asserted that at least 

 80 per cent, of their food consists of termites, and they thereby con- 

 stitute one of the chief checks to these pests of the tropics. 



Certain species are exceptional, such as Plectroctena mandibularis, 

 which feeds chiefly on millipedes and beetles, and Platytliyrea 

 Arnoldi, For., whose food consists entirely of small beetles, mostly 

 Tenebrionidae. 



