ETHIOPIAN NASUTITERMITINAE 51 



A.M.N.H. (other syntypes in Naturhist. Riksmus., Stockholm). Haut Uele, Moto 

 (L. Burgeon), syntype soldier, type colony, N. dulcis (Sjostedt), A.M.X.H. (other 

 syntypes in Mus. Tervuren) ; Ngayu, 22.xii.1909 (H. Lang, J. P. Chapin), para- 

 type soldiers, type colony, N. chapini Emerson, A.M.N.H. and B.M.(N.H.). (Holo- 

 type soldier in A.M.N.H.). 



Other Material. Ivory Coast : Abengouru, xi.1963, 2 vials (G. Becker), own 

 collection. 



NIGERIA : Western Region ; 30m. from Ijebu-Ode on Benin Road, 12.xii.1957 

 {W. A. Sands). 



Cameroun : no data, from X. Holmgren, A.M.X.H. ; Ekododo, 9JX.1913 

 (Escherich), A.M.X.H. 



Congo : Kasai, Kondue, 2 vials (E. Luja) ; Basongo, vii.1921, and Luebo, 

 ix.1921 (H. Schouteden) ; Epulu, 17. v. 1948 (A. E. Emerson), A.M.X.H. 



Uganda : Ankole Province, xi.1939 (H. B. Johnston). 



A total of 18 nest series were examined, in the British Museum (Natural History) 

 unless otherwise stated. 



Although widely distributed from the Ivory Coast to Uganda, this species is not 

 common. The nest is arboreal, more or less spherical, and approximately one foot 

 in diameter. 



LEPTOMYXOTERMES gen. n. 



(Leptos, Gr. " thin ", myxa, Cir., " lamp-nozzle, spout ") 

 Type-species, Eutermes doriae Silvestri, 1912 : .242. 



Imago. Left mandible with apical tooth as long as first marginal, distance from apical to 

 first marginal half distance between first and third marginals (left mandible index 50), cutting 

 edge between first and third marginals with distinct indentation in front of third marginal ; 

 right mandible with apical and first marginal subequal, posterior cutting edge of first marginal 

 about equal to that of second, this being distinctly concave ; right molar plate in surface 

 view with indentation near basal end of anterior margin, posterior margin extending in rounded 

 flange, first molar ridge forming tooth, remaining 6-7 ridges diminishing towards base (Text-figs. 

 164, 165). Fontanelle slit-like, not clearly bifurcate anteriorly. Eyes and ocelli very large and 

 prominent. 



Soldier. Monomorphic with traces of dimorphism. Nose cylindrical. Vestigial mandibles 

 with small points. Head capsule sharply constricted behind antennae. Antennae 14 

 segmented. 



This genus is proposed to accommodate the single African forest species doriae 

 Silvestri, hitherto included with Rhadinotermes in Coarctotermes, which is now restric- 

 ted to the Malagasy species. Leptomyxotermes is clearly widely different both 

 ecologically and morphologically from the other African constricted-headed genera. 

 Although it shares with Fulleritermes the indentation of the cutting edge between 

 first and third marginals of the left mandible, their proportions are different, and the 

 small tooth connecting the molar prominence to the third marginal is retracted 

 below the level of the groove between them, whereas in Fulleritermes and Rhadino- 

 termes it is clearly visible in surface view. The concavity of the cutting edge of the 

 second marginal of the right mandible is more pronounced than in the other genera, 



