A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 363 



the head, very short and oblique on the legs. Pubescence indistinct 

 on the body, abundant on the antennae, sparse on the legs. Head a 

 little longer than wide, the hind margin feebly emarginate, the 

 posterior angles rounded ; the sides straight, converging towards the 

 mouth. Eyes placed in the middle of the sides, composed of 8 or 

 9 facets (3 to 4 along the diameter). Clypeus reticulate, fairly 

 shining, subvertical, produced forwards into a bidentate lobe strongly 

 emarginate in the middle. Frontal carinae as in D. cryptocerus, Emery, 

 widely but shallowly emarginate in the middle of the sides. Mandibles 

 smooth, feebly punctured, fairly shining, with 2 apical teeth, 

 followed by 4 or 5 denticles. Scape cylindrical, slightly dilated in the 

 apical half. First joint of the flagellum as long as the four following 

 joints taken together ; 2nd-6th joints three times wider than long. 

 Last joint of the club longer than the two preceding united, the latter 

 shorter than wide. Front of the pronotum transverse, the sides con- 

 vergent behind, submarginate and only feebly arcuate. Dorsum of 

 the epinotum strongly marginate, concave transversely, one-third 

 longer than wide and one-third longer than the declivity. The angles 

 of the epinotum armed with a small tooth. First node nearly twice 

 as wide as long or as high, convex above, the two faces vertical, the 

 anterior face almost as long as the peduncle, the upper margin of the 

 latter very oblique in front. Second node transversely oval, half as 

 wide again as the 1st, nearly twice as wide as long. Much wider and 

 more convex above than below, furnished below with a blunt tooth. 

 Abdomen ovoid, slightly dilated in front." 

 Pietermaritzburg (Traegaordh). 



Genus MERANOPLUS, Smith. 

 Trans. Ent. Soc. London, series 2, p. 224, 1854. 



Characters. 



^ . Antennae 9-jointed, the club 3-jointed, the scape swollen in 

 the apical half. Distinct and deep scrobes present, receiving the 

 whole of the folded antennae. Eyes prominent and convex. Head 

 usually very steep in front. Frontal carinae wide apart, divergent, 

 prolonged backwards as the upper boundaries of the scrobes. Thorax 

 generally short ; the pro-mesonotum forms a siugle disc, and over- 

 hangs the epinotum behind. The anterior and posterior angles of the 

 pro-mesonotum usually bidentate or bispinose. Epinotum vertical or 

 very steep, generally bispinose, sometimes unarmed, the dorsum and 

 declivity not differentiated, the upper surface of the epinotum forming 



