A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 211 



quadrate, not so high as the 1st. The basal margin of the 1st abdo- 

 minal segment feebly concave. 



The ? described by Mayr differs from the above only by its larger 

 size (7 - 3 mm.), and its $ £ appear to me, judging by the description 

 only, to be more closely related to the variety than to the type of the 

 species ; they do not differ appreciably from the form described 

 above. 



This species nests in loose sandy soil, usually over granite formation 

 (rarely on the schist), and is a very agile insect. 



S. Rhodesia, fairly common; Bothaville, Orange Free State. 

 (Brauns.) (S.A.M., R.M., G.A. colls.) 



M. Tchelichofi, Forel. 



Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sc. Nat., vol. 50, p. 244, £ , 1914. 



£. 3' 7-4 mm. Piceous ; mandibles, tarsi, articulations of the legs 

 and antennae brownish. Head, disc of pro-mesonotum and abdomen 

 smooth and shining, the rest of the thorax and nodes nitidulous, finely 

 reticulate. Cheeks in front of the eyes, and the frontal carinae finely 

 striate. Mandibles shallowly and longitudinally striate, quadridentate. 

 The clypeus projects considerably forwards, so that the closed 

 mandibles are not quite visible from above. The anterior margin of 

 the median portion of the clypeus feebly emarginate. A very incon- 

 spicuous pubescence on the legs and antennae, but almost wanting on 

 the body ; pilosity almost entirely absent. Head, excluding the 

 mandibles, slightly longer than wide, the sides very convex, the 

 posterior margin feebly concave in the middle, as wide in front as 

 behind, moderately convex above. The eyes are placed in the middle 

 of the sides of the head. The scape extends beyond the occipital 

 margin by about as much as its own apical width ; the 1st joint of the 

 flagellum not longer than the 2nd and 3rd together. Thorax widest 

 in front, barely more than half as wide as the head, fairly strongly 

 constricted at the meso-epinotal suture. i Seen from the side, the pro- 

 mesonotum has a convex profile, raised above the level of theepinotum. 

 The dorsum of the latter is half as long again as wide, and slopes 

 downwards towards the declivity, forming a distinct angle at the 

 junction ; it is also excavated, the excavation triangular and extending 

 to the base. The declivity is also concave, and is fairly distinctly 

 margined on each side. The anterior face of the 1st node is almost 

 vertical, the posterior-dorsal face convex. The node is sub-ovate, seen 

 from above, and its dorsal edge is rounded, with a slight indentation 

 in the middle ; the peduncle a trifle shorter than the node. The 2nd 



