354 Annals of the South African Museum. 



thorax is very compressed, as though it had been held on each side and 

 pinched. It is therefore narrow above and much deeper than wide, the 

 sides almost vertical. The pronotum is barely visible from above. 

 The mesonotum and scutellum ;ilmost flat, except in front and behind, 

 where they are slightly curved downwards. Seen from above, their 

 outline forms an ellipse, the major axis of which is two and a third 

 times longer than the minor. Dorsum of epinotum obsolete, the upper 

 surface of the epinotum forming a steep and continuous line from base 

 to apex, This upper surface is margined at the sides by a longitudinal 

 ridge, excavated between them, more shallowly so above than below. 

 The petiole resembles that of the ^ > bu.t. is narrower and longer. 

 Seen from above, the 1st segment is pyriform, with a long stalk in 

 front ; the 2nd node campaniform, widest behind, and a little longer 

 than wide. Abdomen narrowed towards the base, the basal margin 

 concave. The 1st segment forms mox-e than half the abdomen, and 

 has above a semi-oval and flattened or depressed area. Wings with 1 

 cubital cell and 1 discoidal, the radial cell open. 



The above descriptions of the ^ and £ are drawn up from speci- 

 mens lent to me by Dr. Brauns, who originally discovered the species. 



" $ . 3 - 5 mm. Shining, brown, the mandibles, antennae and legs 

 yellow, coxae and femora more yellowish-brown. The pilosity much 

 less abundant than in the $ . Mandibles and also the head fairly 

 smooth, the cheeks with a few longitudinal striae, the sides of the 

 head behind the eyes fairly finely and longitudinally rugulose. The 

 pronotum and the lateral margins of the mesonotum in front of 

 the tegulae finely rugose, mesonotum otherwise smooth ; the scutellum 

 finely and longitudinally rugose, with a more or less distinct longi- 

 tudinal groove ; the epinotum finely reticulate rugose. Wings as in 

 the $ . The smooth petiole like that of the Q , but the 1st node is 

 lower. Abdomen smooth. . . . Mandibles as in the $ and ? , 

 but narrower. The head, including the mandibles, is more or less 

 pentagonal, the apex of the closed mandibles, the eyes and the 

 posterior corners forming the rounded angles. The clypeus is mode- 

 rately arched and arcuately produced in front, wide behind, not 

 prolonged far back between the frontal carinae, the lateral portions 

 having an angular posterior edge opposite the antennal sockets. 

 Frontal carinae short, parallel and narrow, the sockets of the antennae 

 being freely exposed. Antennae 10-jointed, the scape extending back 

 almost to the posterior ocelli ; the fiagellum fairly long, the 1st joint 

 about twice as long as wide, the 2nd three times as long as the 1st, the 

 succeeding joints all longer than wide (in three out of the four 

 examples in my possession, the 2nd joint is more or less fused with the 



