A Monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 477 



P. aspera, Mayr. 



Verh. Zool. Bot. G-es. Wien, vol. 12, p. 746, 1/, £, 1862. 

 Beise der Novara, Zool. II, Formicid., p. 97, 1/, £ , <J, 1865. 



"1/. 5 mm. Yellowish-brown, the head brown and darkest, the 

 thorax red or yellowish-brown, the flagellum brownish-yellow. The 

 outstanding pilosity is yellow and fairly abundant, that of the legs 

 dense and neaiiy decumbent. Mandibles longitudinally striate, the 

 apical half sparsely and coarsely punctured, smooth and shining 

 between the punctures. Head dull, the anterior half longitudinally 

 striate, the cheeks rather rugose. The posterior half of the head, as 

 far as the posterior angles, is obliquely and finely rugose and also 

 superficially reticulate-punctate. Clypeus smooth in the middle, 

 shining, fairly sharply carinate, the anterior margin entire. Pronotum 

 more or less transversely rugose, widened on each side behind into 

 a hump. Mesonotum with a transverse torus in the middle, which is 

 angular on both sides. The epinotum is transversely rugose ; the 

 epinotal teeth divergent, directed upwards, not acute and not long. 

 The sides of the thorax are sharply reticulate-punctate and somewhat 

 striate. Petiole finely rugose. The 1st node, seen from behind, 

 quadrate, its dorsal edge emarginate ; the 2nd node with dentiform 

 dilated sides. Abdomen smooth and shining. 



" $ . 3 mm. Head blackish-brown, thorax reddish-brown, petiole 

 and abdomen yellowish-brown, mandibles and flagellum brown-yellow, 

 the legs brownish-yellow or yellowish-brown. Brighter specimens 

 have the head and thorax reddish-brown, and the rest more or less 

 yellowish-brown. The pilosity is fairly abundant. Mandibles longi- 

 tudinally striate at the base, smooth at the apex and sparsely 

 punctured. Clypeus feebly and longitudinally striate, smooth in the 

 middle, carinate, its anterior margin entire. Vertex, between the 

 frontal area and the frontal carinae, longitudinally rugose, the middle 

 of the head more finely rugose or almost smooth and shining ; sides of 

 the head finely rugose. Pronotum shining and almost smooth, its 

 posterior lateral angles feeble. The mesonotum has a feeble trans- 

 verse torus, and like the epinotum, is reticulate-punctate ; epinotal 

 teeth acute, erect and fairly short. First node of petiole not 

 emarginate above, reticulate-punctate and also sparsely rugose length- 

 wise ; 2nd node shining, nearly smooth, not dilated at the sides. 

 Abdomen smooth and shining. Cape of Grood Hope." 



I am unable to place this species in any of my groups, as the shape 

 of the head is not stated. 



