A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. 587 



dull, very closely and finely punctato-rugulose and reticulate-rugu- 

 lose, or shagreened ; the abdomen very closely rugulose. A few 

 erect, yellowish and coarse hairs on the clypeus, thorax, edge of 

 petiole and apical margins of the abdominal segments, and on the 

 outer margins of the femora; the tibiae and metatarsi moderately 

 spinose beneath. Head, excluding the mandibles, subquadrate, mode- 

 rately narrowed in front, the sides feebly convex, the posterior 

 margin shallowly emarginate. Mandibles large, armed with an acute 

 and large apical tooth and 6 more obtuse teeth behind. Clypeus 

 large, convex transversely, the anterior margin convex. Frontal 

 area fairly distinct, triangular. Frontal carinae short, parallel. The 

 scapes extend beyond the hind margin by about one-third of their 

 length ; all the joints of the flagellum longer than wide, the 1st to 

 4th at least three times longer than wide. A shallow frontal groove 

 pressent, ending behind in a small pit which represents the vestige of 

 the anterior ocellus. The lateral ocelli are also atrophied. Pronotum 

 very convex transversely, the anterior half declivous in front, two- 

 thirds wider than long. Pro-mesonotal and meso-epinotal sutures 

 well defined. Mesonotum convex transversely, slightly so longitu- 

 dinally, subrotund, very little more than half the width of the 

 pronotum, not distinctly separated from the short metanotum. The 

 latter, widened posteriorly, is barely one-quarter as long in the middle 

 as the mesonotum. Dorsum of epinotum twice as wide as long, 

 near the base impressed transversely im the middle ; the stigmatic 

 orifices at the apical angles of the dorsum are prominent or sub- 

 tubercular ; the declivity subvertical and longer than the dorsum. 

 Anterior face of the scale of the petiole convex in all directions, the 

 posterior face flat, the dorsal edge a little emarginate in the middle, 

 higher than wide. Abdomen massive, subovate, highest in front. 



^ media, 5*3-7 mm. These differ but little from the largest ^ ^. 

 The head is longer, as much as one-fifth longer than wide. The 

 scape extends by half or nearly half its length beyond the occipital 

 margin ; the transverse depression between the mesonotum and 

 metanotum is shallower and the transverse impression near the base 

 of the dorsum of the epinotum is longer. The abdomen is also nar- 

 rower or longer in proportion to the thorax than in the ^ maxima. 

 Colour as in the ^ maxim, but the legs and flagellum more brownish. 



^ minima. 3*5-5 mm. Differing from the ^ maxima in the same 

 way as the § media, but with these additional distinctions. 



Head oblong-ovate, narrowed in front, at least one-fifth longer 

 than wide, the sides less convex than in the larger ^ ^. All the 

 joints of the flagellum relatively a little shorter. Mesonotum nearly 



