A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 367 



are 2 or 3 shorter lines ; the anterior margin is straight, slightly 

 produced forwards. Club of antennae as long as the rest of the 

 flagellum. Pro-mesonotum nearly one and two-thirds wider than 

 long, not much wider in front than behind, only very slightly 

 narrowed behind the pronotal region, shallowly incised in front of 

 the mesonotal teeth. The latter are fairly acute, subparallel, a little 

 longer than their basal width. The epinotal spines are very long, 

 quite two and a half times longer than the mesonotal, and two and a 

 half times longer than their width at the base, subparallel, acute? 

 directed obliquely upwards. They are placed very close to the 

 posterior margin of the mesonotum, so that the clathrate space 

 between the latter and their bases (i, e. the dorsum of the epinotum) 

 is very short. 



First node of petiole cuneiform, the anterior face vertical, the 

 posterior face nearly so ; the trenchant dorsal edge of the node bears 

 on each side a sharp and vertical spine, a little longer than wide at 

 the base. The 1st node is slightly wider than the 2nd. The latter 

 is subglobose ; seen from the side it is somewhat flattened above, 

 wider above than below, the anterior face inclined forwards, obtusely 

 angulated below. Abdomen deeply emarginate at the base at its 

 junction with the petiole. 



This is a very distinct species, easily distinguished from all our 

 other species by the bispinose 1st node of the petiole and the very 

 long epinotal spines. 



Hillside, Bulawayo. The entrance to the nest is a very small hole 

 surrounded by a tiny mound of earth. (S.A.M., K.M., Gr.A. colls.) ; 

 type in my collection. 



M. excisus, Arnold. 



Proc. Shod. Sc. Asscn., vol. 13, part 3, p„ 29, £ , 1914. 



5 • 3-3-3 mm. Head, thorax, petiole, legs, and antennae yellowish- 

 brown, the heal, scape, and club of antenna a little darker, abdomen 

 brownish-black. The pilosity is very dense and composed of long 

 pale hairs, more abundant than in Simoni-nitidiventris. The legs 

 and antennae more sparsely clothed with short and oblique hairs. 

 Head and clypeus longitudinally rugose, the spaces between the 

 rugosities smooth and slightly shining. Thorax reticulately rugose 

 the rugae emphasised longitudinally, the spaces between them 

 slightly shining. Face of the 1st node of the petiole smooth and 

 shining, the 2nd node reticulate-rugose above. First segment of the 

 abdomen shining, very finely rugose and feebly punctured. Legs 

 smooth and moderately shining. 



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