A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 469 



apart. The occipital emargination is narrower, a little deeper, and 

 more angular at the apex. The inner sides of the occipital lobes ai*e 

 distinctly convex (straight, or almost so in the type of the species). 

 Occipito-f rontal sulcus deeper and wider. The head is as wide behind 

 as in front. The epinotal spines are less divergent than in the type 

 of the species. The 2nd node of the petiole has a long spine on each 

 side, longer in proportion to the rest of the node than in the type of 

 the species. Occasionally the head is much paler than the rest of the 

 body, being of a bright castaneous red. 



5 . 3-3*4 mm. Black, tarsi and flagellum ferruginous, scapes and 

 legs dark brown. Middle of the frons and vertex shining and almost 

 smooth, the rest of the head more finely and superficially reticulate 

 than in the type of the species. Thorax sharply reticulate-punctate 

 and dull. Nodes and base of abdomen more strongly reticulate. 

 Epinotal spines shorter than in the type, hardly two-thirds as long as 

 the dorsum of the epinotum. Nodes as in the type of the species. 



Bulawayo. (S.A.M., E.M., G.A. colls.) 



P. excellens, Mayr. race rhodesiana, Foi'el. (Plate VI, fig. 69.) 



Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 12, p. 744, 1/, 1862. 

 (Eace) Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg., vol. 57, p. 131, %,$, 1913. 



1/. 7 mm. Piceous, the posterior half of the head sometimes more 

 or less dark, castaneous ; flagellum and tarsi ferruginous, scapes, 

 femora and tibiae dark brown, the latter paler at base and apex. 

 Pubescence on the head almost decumbent, longest on the legs and 

 abdomen, more exserted on the legs than elsewhere. Pilosity scanty, 

 yellowish, very oblique on the head, more or less exserted on the 

 thorax. Anterior half of the head longitudinally striate, the spaces 

 between the striae shining and very superficially rugulose ; posterior 

 half of the head smooth, shining, shallowly and sparsely punctured, 

 here and there also very feebly rugulose. Thorax fairly shining, the 

 pro-mesonotum feebly and irregularly rugulose transversely, with a 

 few stronger rugae at the sides. Epinotum more strongly sculptured, 

 especially at the sides, transversely rugoso-striate. Sides of pro- and 

 mesothorax irregularly rugose. Nodes transversely rugulose. Abdomen 

 smooth and shining, the extreme base faintly aciculate. Legs smooth 

 and shining. Head, excluding the mandibles, not quite one-fifth 

 longer than wide, parallel- sided, deeply excised behind, the excision 

 angular at the apex. The sides of the head, between the vertex 

 and the eyes and behind the latter, have a slight oblique concavity. 

 Occipito-f rontal sulcus fairly deep posteriorly, the anterior half shallow. 



