58 Annals of tlie South African Museum. 



J 

 j P. laevissima, n. sp. (Plate II. , figs. 15, 15a.) 



£ . 12 mm. Black; antennae, mandibles, outer angles of frontal 

 carinae, and articulations of the legs piceous red ; extreme margins 

 of abdominal segments pale. The whole body is very shining, 

 punctured all over with very fine, sparse punctures, from which 

 arise the pubescent hairs. Intermixed are other larger punctures 

 which are very shallow and scanty on the 1st abdominal segment, 

 deeper, larger and more abundant on the node of the petiole and on 

 the head, and very sparse on the thorax. The pubescence on the 

 body is very scanty and inconspicuous, but less so on the apical 

 segments of the abdomen. Pilosity of tbe body meagre, consisting 

 of a few short hairs ; pale and denser on the legs. 



Head quadrate, sides slightly convex, posterior margin straight, 

 very convex above, posterior angles rounded. Mandibles triangular, 

 moderately shining and very finely striate, sparsely and strongly 

 punctured, the punctures larger and elongated along the masticatory 

 margin. The latter carries 7 teeth, and is but little shorter than the 

 basal margin. Clypeus striato-rugose, angularly produced in the 

 middle, sub-carinate, and with a row of deep punctures along the 

 anterior margin. The frontal carinae are very broad in front, and 

 excepting their extreme lateral margins which are smooth and 

 shining, are more closely punctured than the rest of the head. 

 Eyes rather small, situated a little in front of the middle of the sides 

 of the head. Antennae extend back as far as the apex of the 

 epinotum ; scape incrassate towards the apex, the flagellum only 

 slightly so. First joint of flagellum two-thirds as long as the 2nd, 

 the latter hardly longer than the 3rd. 



Pro-mesonotal suture distinct, meso-epinotal suture obsolete. 

 Pronotum convex above, rounded in front and at the sides, a little 

 wider than long. Mesonotum as long as the pronotum. Dorsum of 

 epinotum merges into the declivity by a very gradual curve. The 

 declivity is very oblique and feebly margined laterally. (The profile 

 of the thorax is a segment of a circle and more convex than 

 P. cavernosa, Eoger.) Node of petiole trapezoid, wider behind 

 than in front, wider than long, rounded above, vertically truncate in 

 front and behind, and nearly as high as 1st abdominal segment. 

 The sides of the 1st and 2nd abdominal segments very convex, the 

 constriction between them strong. The 1st segment is narrower at 

 the base than at the apex, as long as the 2nd segment but not quite 

 so wide. Legs moderately long. 



Saldanha Bay, Cape Prov., Type in my collection. 



(S.A.M., E.M., G.A. colls.) 



