ANNALS 



OP THE 



SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM. 



(Vol. XIV.) /^^^^ 



7 1915 



1. — A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. — By tjEORGE 

 Abnold, M.Sc, A.R.C.S., F.E.S., Curator of the Bhodesia 

 Museum, Bulawayo. 



Introduction. 



Up to the present time, no work has been published which deals 

 with the Formicidae of South Africa in monographic form. The 

 descriptions of nearly three hundred species are scattered over a 

 large number of scientific journals, of which many are rare or 

 otherwise difficult to obtain. The task of identifying the ants of 

 this region is therefore rendered very arduous, if not altogether 

 impossible, since each isolated description has to be searched for 

 amongst numerous, and often very obscure publications, many of 

 which are not to be found in the few scientific libraries of South 

 Africa. It is therefore not to be supposed that the following 

 pages contain a complete account of all the known South African 

 species, since some may have escaped my notice, but it is hoped 

 that they will serve as a basis of study for future workers. 



The difficulty of obtaining such publications for reference has 

 been surmounted in this instance largely through the kindness of 

 friends and of officials of kindred institutions. Many descriptions 

 of species which I have not been able to see, have been copied for 



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