600 Annals of the South African Museum. 



much the same way as is P. custodiens and fallax; the pro-meso- 

 notal suture is not strongly defined, the mesonotum is not impressed, 

 and is longer than the epinotum ; the profile of the dorsum of the 

 thorax forms a very ohtuse angle (the apex downwards) at the point 

 of the meso-epinotal suture. All the upper part of the body is dull, 

 even under a strong magnification; this is due to a close reticulate 

 puncturation, reinforced by a microscopic fundamental sculpture. 

 On the abdomen the punctures merge together into transverse rugu- 

 lose lines." 



Sub-genus PLAGIOLEPIS, Mayr, s. str. 



For characters see table of sub-genera. 



P. pygmaea, Latreille. 



Ess. Hist. Fourmis France, p. 45. Q, Q. 1798. 



Schenck, (as Tapinoma) Jahrb. Ver. Naturk. Nassau. 



Vol. 8, p. 68 and 130 cT, 1852. 



^. 1*3-2 mm. Dark brown, the scapes, tibiae and tarsi pale 

 ochreous, the femora yellowish brown, mandibles ferruginous, fla- 

 gellum fuscous ochreous. Smooth and very shining, the pronotum 

 and the base of the dorsum of the epinotum sparsely and very finely 

 punctured. Pubescence adjacent and sparse, almost obsolete on the 

 thorax. A very few exserted, yellowish pilose hairs on the clypeus 

 and margins of the abdominal segments. 



Head subquadrate, a trifle longer than wide (excluding the man- 

 dibles) slightly narrowed in front, the sides feebly convex, the 

 posterior margin straight or only shallowly concave. Eyes not large, 

 placed at about the middle of the sides. Anterior margin of clypeus 

 convex. Mandibles armed with 3 or 4 teeth. The scape just reaches 

 the occipital margin; 1st joint of flagellum nearly as long as the 

 2nd— 4th taken together, 2nd and 3rd joints a little wider than long, 

 4th and 5th as long as wide, the following joints a little longer than 

 wide. Pronotum narrower than the head, very convex transversely, 

 twice as wide as long in the middle ; mesonotum a trifle wider than 

 long. All the thoracic sutures distinct, the meso-metanotal and the 

 meta-epinotal fairly deep. Metanotum twice as wide as long, a little 

 more than half as long as the mesonotum, the stigmata fairly pro- 

 minent. Dorsum of epinotum widened towards the apex, where it 

 is twice as wide as long, joining the shorter and oblique declivity 

 in a gradual curve. The apical third of declivity, near the scale, 

 is almost horizontal. Scale of petiole inclined forwards, longer than 



