A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 101 



L. (Lobopelta) nitida, Smith. 



Cat. Hymen. Brit. Mus., vol. 6, p. 92, g , 1858. 



# . 4-4 - 3 mm. Ferruginous, the legs and apical margins of the 

 abdominal segments, and the whole of the last three segments lighter; 

 the 2nd abdominal segment and vertex of the head castaneous 

 red ; or entirely black with flagellum ferruginous. A scanty pubes- 

 cence on tbe legs and antennae ; a sparse pilosity on the body and 

 legs, more abundant on the last segment of the abdomen. The 

 whole body very shining and impunctate. Head oblong, about one- 

 quarter longer than wide, sides very slightly convex, posterior 

 margin straight, posterior angles rounded. Clypeus carinate in the 

 middle, the carina ending in a sharp point ; produced backwards in 

 an acute angle between the frontal carinae. The latter are very 

 narrow behind the antennal sockets. Mandibles sbiningand coarsely 

 punctured, slightly wider towards the apex, which ends in a sharp 

 tooth, the masticatory margin concave and moderately large. Byes 

 small, situated within the anterior third of the head. Scape of 

 antenna extends back as far as the middle of the pronotum, flagellum 

 slightly incrassate towards the apex, 1st and 2nd joints sub-equal, 

 8th-10th joints as long as wide. Pronotum rounded above, in front 

 and at the sides, convex in profile, twice as long as the mesonotum ; 

 pro-mesonotal suture feeble, meso-epinotal well defined. Epinotum 

 as long as pro- and mesonotum together. Dorsum of epinotum flat, 

 narrower at the base, declivity gradual and rather short. Node of 

 petiole higher than the epinotum; seen from above almost triangular, 

 with the anterior face very rounded, the sides very slightly convex ; 

 truncated in front and behind, and strongly convex above. Abdomen 

 elongate, 1st and 2nd segments sub-equal, 1st segment rounded at 

 the base, nearly twice as wide as the node of the petiole, the con- 

 striction between the 1st and 2nd segments fairly deep. Legs long 

 and slender. 



Ladismith, Cape Prov. (light variety). (Brauns.) Estcourt, Natal, 

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



L. (Lobopelta) castanea, Mayr. 



Verb.. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 12, p. 734, g , 1862. 



g . 36 mm. Very similar to the pale variety of nitida in colour 

 and general appearance, but lighter and narrower. It may be dis- 

 tinguished from that species by the following characters. 



The scape of the antenna is considerably flattened, and distinctly 

 but finely punctured, and the flagellum is much thicker. The eyes 



