

W. A. SANDS 





Range 



Width of pronotum 



1-22-1-40 



Length of pronotum 



0-71-0-84 



Length of hind tibia 



1-63-179 



Length of fore wing 



11-50-14-30 



Head length to tip of nose 

 Head width . 

 Depth of head capsule 

 Width of pronotum 

 Length of pronotum 

 Length of hind tibia 



0-82 



o-57 

 044 

 023 

 112 



66 



Mean 

 1 32 

 o-8o 

 171 



12-71 



Soldier. Setae on head consist of a bilaterally placed pair on vertex, four at nose tip with 

 sparse shorter setae behind them, and one or two towards base of nose. 



Abdominal tergites with very short sparsely scattered setae and longer setae on posterior 

 margins ; sternites with more numerous short setae and longer setae on posterior margins 

 2-3 times length of short. 



Antennae, 12 (6 out of 10) to 13 segmented. 



Measurements (53 specimens from 16 localities) in millimetres. 



Range Mean 



1 43-1 -86 1-59 



0-64-0 94 

 0-43-0-64 

 0-38-0-51 

 0-18-0-28 

 0-89-1-30 



Variation. The 5% size variation shown by the imagos over their entire distribution range is 

 extremely low, and other characters varied similarly little. In the soldier there was more 

 variation in the proportional lengths of nose and head capsule and in antennal length, with slight 

 indications of a cline in these characters from south-west to north-east. Colour varied little 

 in both castes. 



Though placed in Fulleritermes, the relationships of F. mallyi are open to doubt. 

 The long wings and 15 segmented antennae of the imago together with the prepon- 

 derantly 12 segmented antennae of the soldier, show closer resemblance to R. 

 coarctatus than to the other species of its own genus. 



These characters, the slender cylindrical nose and comparatively weak head 

 constriction of the soldier, and the larger size of both imago and soldier castes, 

 distinguish it from other Fulleritermes and R. coarctatus. It is unlikely to be con- 

 fused with any other African species. 



Material. Republic of South Africa : Cape Province, Malmesbury, x.1920 

 (R. Birch), syntype female imagos and soldiers, type colony, F. mallyi (Fuller), 

 A.M.N.H. (other syntypes in N.C.I., Pretoria) ; Malmesbury, 19. ii. 1956, Clan 

 William, 21. iii. 1956-20. ii.1961, 7 vials, Calvinia, 6.x. 1956-15.1. 1958, 6 vials, 

 Willowmore, 18.ix.1961, 4 vials, Beaufort West, 19.ix.1961, Aberdeen, 20.ix.1961, 

 3 vials (W. G. H. Coaton) ; Laingsburg, 15. xi. i960, 4 vials, Ladismith, 16. xi. i960 

 (P. C. Joubert, H. P. Nieman) ; Uniondale, 12. ii.1961, Ceres, 19. ii.1961, Clanwilliam 

 and Calvinia, 20. ii.1961, Namaqualand, 15-19. x.1961, 17 vials, Van Rhynsdorp, 

 20.X.1961, 5 vials (/. L. Sheasby, G. F. Pretorius). 



A total of 54 nest series were examined, and material is in the British Museum 

 (Natural History) unless otherwise stated. 



This species appears to be confined to the Karroo and related neighbouring vege- 

 tation types of Cape Province, South Africa. It has commonly been collected from 

 beneath stones and from mounds of other species such as Amitermes hastatus 

 (Haviland). 



