A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 81 



P. eegatandria, Forel, race cognata, Santschi. 

 Forel, Trans. Bnt. Soc. London, p. 365, 1893. Santschi, Ann, 

 Soc. Ent. Belg., vol. 56, p. 153, 1912. 

 $ . 3 mm. Castaneous brown, head darker than the rest of the 

 body, legs, antennae, clypeus, and mandibles brownish yellow. 

 Clothed with a pale pubescence, very short on the head, and with 

 pale pilose hairs on the 3rd-5th abdominal segments. Head very 

 minutely and rather closely punctured, thorax less densely and much 

 more shallowly punctured, a few large punctures on the mandibles, 

 the rest of the body impunctate ; the whole body nitidulous. Head, 

 excluding the mandibles, nearly one-quarter longer than wide, sides 

 moderately convex, posterior angles rounded, posterior margin 

 feebly concave. The scape does not reach back to the posterior 

 margin ; the flagellum strongly incrassate towards the apex, the 

 last 4 joints forming a club ; 1st joint of flagellum as long as the 

 three following joints taken together, 2nd-10th joints wider than 

 long, apical joint as long as wide, and as long as the two preceding 

 joints together. Clypeus not so short as in Bagusae or dulcis, raised 

 in the centre and impressed transversely above the anterior margin, 

 which is slightly produced. Frontal carinae short and converging 

 posteriorly, separated by a faint impressed line reaching to the 

 middle of the head. Mandibles triangular, shining, with about 6 

 small unequal-sized teeth on the masticatory margin, the apex 

 ending in a sharp strong tooth. Eyes small, situated within the 

 anterior fourth of the head. Pronotum only a little narrower than 

 the head, one-third wider than long, very convex in front and at the 

 sides. Mesonotum nearly round, as long as the pronotum, and a 

 little wider than long. The profile of the dorsum of the thorax is 

 almost straight, and the thoracic sutures quite distinct. Dorsum of 

 the epinotum as long as the mesonotum, a little wider at the apex 

 than at the base ; the declivity is not so oblique as in Bagusae or 

 dulcis. The node of the petiole is much thicker above than in those 

 species, nearly twice as wide as long, and with the anterior and 

 posterior faces vertical. Seen from above, the margins of the dorsal 

 surface of the node are convex in front, straight behind and feebly 

 convex at the sides. Abdomen elongate, as long as the tborax and 

 petiole together ; 1st and 2nd segments subequal, the constriction 

 between them not very marked. Sting exserted. 



Found in some numbers round the almost dried bones of a buried 

 snake in which small white Poduridae abounded, and on which the 

 ants were seen to prey. 



Bulawayo. (S.A.M., P.M., G.A. colls.) 



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