448 Annals of the South African Museum. 



£ . 4 mm. (hitherto undescribed). Black; mandibles, antennae and 

 tarsi dirty brownish-yellow. Pilosity longer and more abundant than 

 in the 2 . Head, thorax and nodes very closely and finely reticulate, 

 punctate and dull, except the middle of the epinotum, which is only 

 reticulate, and the scutellum, which is smooth and shining. There is 

 also a fairly smooth and shining median longitudinal area on the 

 mesonotum. Abdomen smooth and shining, the extreme base dull 

 and very finely reticulate. Head widest in front, a trifle wider than 

 long, the sides behind the eyes with the posterior margin forming a 

 semicircle. Eyes placed in the anterior half of the head, occupying a 

 little less than half of the sides. Frontal carinae obsolete. Mandibles 

 small, quadridentate. Scapes when extended outwards not reaching 

 the outer margin of the eyes ; first joint of flagellum globose, as wide 

 as long, the remaining joints all longer than wide. Mesonotum very 

 convex transversely in front, one-third wider than long. Scutellum 

 moderately convex lengthwise, half as long as the mesonotum. Dorsum 

 of epinotum widest at the base, twice as wide as long, feebly bituber- 

 culate. First node one and a-half times wider than long, the dorsal 

 edge convex transversely ; 2nd node hardly half as wide again as the 1st, 

 twice as wide as long, the sides produced into shorter and less acute teeth 

 than in the $ . Abdomen longer than wide. Wings as in the $ . 



S. Rhodesia, fairly common. It is a largely graminivorous species, 

 and forms rather populous nests which are rarely placed more than 

 6 in. below the surface of the soil. (S.A.M., R.M., G.A. colls. ; types 

 of ? and $ in my collection.) 



\l 

 Var. ballaensis n. V. 



1/ . 4'8-5 mm. Apart from its greater size, this form differs from 

 the type in the following characters : The colour is paler, the head and 

 pronotum bright castaneous red, the base of the abdomen yellowish- 

 brown. The head is from one-fourth to one-third longer than wide; 

 the occipital emargination is much deeper, and acutely angular at its 

 apex. The pronotum is more angular and wider behind, the angles 

 marginate. The pro-mesonotal suture is deeper, and the scutellar 

 region is margined at the sides by a raised line. The dorsum of the 

 epinotum is wider and less coarsely reticulate. 



^. 23 mm. Body dark blackish-bi*own. Head not wider in front 

 than behind ; an oblong area in the middle of the posterior half of the 

 pronotum is shining and has the sculpture more or less effaced. Second 

 node of petiole less angular at the sides. Otherwise like the type of 

 the species. 



Balla-Balla, S. Rhodesia. (R.M., G-.A. colls.; types in my collection.) 



