A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 225 



base reddish, the articulations of the legs and the tarsi pale rufo-tes- 

 taceons ; the thorax in the middle in front, and the scutellum, of a 

 brighter red ; the epinotum with a deep excavation ; abdomen oblong- 

 ovate, thinly sprinkled with short pale glittering hairs." 



This species makes rather small colonies, usually in sandy soil. 



Not common in Rhodesia. Bulawayo. (R.M., Gr.A. colls.) 



Race subopacum, var. anceps, Emery. 

 Ann. Soc. Ent. France, vol. 63, p. 24, £ , 1895. 



" Small forms with the head slightly shining behind, and the 

 abdomen also shining ; colour of the race. 

 Ham man's Kraal. (Simon.)" 



Race australe, Emery. 

 Bull. Soc. Ent Ital., vol. 18, p. 363, g , ? , 1886. 



<£> . 3"3-3'8 mm. Head, epinotum, and nodes reddish brown; 

 pro-mesonotum paler, more yellowish brown. Mandibles yellowish 

 red, abdomen piceous, legs and antennae brownish red, the tarsi paler, 

 except the last joint, which is dark brown. Head and thorax dull, 

 abdomen moderately shining. Head, thorax and petiole very finely 

 reticulate, abdomen alutaceous. A very sparse and fine pilosity on 

 the nodes and abdomen. Head barely longer than wide, slightly 

 narrowed behind, the sides feebly convex, the posterior angles 

 rounded, the posterior margin shallowly concave. The scape extends 

 back as far as the posterior margin. The median area of the clypeus 

 finely and longitudinally striate, the clypeal carinae obtuse. Man- 

 dibles longitudinally striate, quadridentate. Eyes placed at the 

 middle of the sides of the head. Thorax narrower than the posterior 

 margin of the head; pro-mesonotum, including the neck, almost twice 

 as long as the epinotum, the latter one and a half times longer than 

 wide, shallowly excavated, the excavation extending over the brow of 

 the declivity, which is therefore concave transversely at that point. 

 The profile of the epinotum above is convex, not flat, as in subopacum ; 

 the declivity is short and oblique. The peduncle of the 1st joint of 

 the petiole is more than half as long as the node. The latter is one- 

 quarter higher than wide, a little wider than long, convex in front and 

 behind. The 2nd node is widest across its anterior third, barely wider 

 than the 1st, and as long as wide. 



$ . 5 - 7 mm. Colour and pilosity as in the £ , but the abdomen is 

 darker, with the apical margins pale brownish yellow, and the head is 

 dark reddish brown. Dull ; head finely and longitudinally striate ; 



