ETHIOPIAN N AS UTITERM IT IX AE 



73 



socket, angle of nose cone 10-20 degrees ; antennae 12 segmented, II short, IV and V longer, 

 and III subequal or slightly longer than these. Setae on head confined to four at nose tip and 

 bilaterally placed pair on vertex, with a few short curved setae scattered on dorsal surface of 

 head including 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. Remaining characteristics given in generic diagnosis. 



Measurements (25 specimens from 16 localities) in millimetres. 



Range Mean 



Head length to tip of nose 



1-17-1-39 



1-28 



Head width . 



0-54-0-66 



060 



Depth of head capsule . 



0-40-0-49 



045 



Width of pronotum 



0-33-0-38 



036 



Length of pronotum 



015-018 



017 



Length of hind tibia 



0-92-110 



1 01 



Variation. Imago variation was very slight in the small amount of material known, 

 soldier caste small variations in length and angle of nose occur. 



In the 



The relationships of this species are discussed under the generic heading. It is 

 unlikely to be confused with any species other than small dark specimens of Fulleri- 

 termes contractus, and then only then in the case of the soldier caste collected alone. 



Material (additional to that recorded in Sands, 1957). Nyasaland : Zomba, 

 1899 (Cameron), syntype soldiers and workers, R. coarctatus (Sjostedt), A.M.N.H. 

 (other syntypes in Mus. Cambridge, and Naturhist. Riksmus., Stockholm). 



Northern Rhodesia : Choma, 16.1.1957, 2 vials, Magoye, 17.1.1957, Lusaka, 

 19.1.1957, Broken Hill, 20.1.1957 (W. G. H. Coaton). 



Congo : Keyberg, ii°47'S., 27°25'E., 21.iv.1948 (A.E.Emerson), A.M.N.H. 



Republic of South Africa : Transvaal ; Brits, no date (H. K. Munro) ; 

 Sibasa, 5.viii.i959 to 13.x. 1960, 8 vials, Barberton, 23-27.lv. i960, 3 vials, Pietersberg, 

 Lydenberg, 5.x. i960, 3 vials, Letaba, 8-16.X.1960, 5 vials, Nelspruit, 21.x. i960, 

 3 vials, and Soutpansberg, 10.xii.1960 (W. G. H. Coaton, P. C. Joubert, and /. L. 

 Sheasby) ; Pilgrims Rest, 3.ix.i96o, 2 vials (A. Boonzaaier) ; Barberton, 7.x. i960 

 (H. P. Nieman) ; Potgietersrus, 21. xii.1961 (P. le S. Milstein) ; Natal ; Ingwavuma, 

 13.xii.1959 (/. Net) ; Ngotshe, Nongoma, 10. i. 1962, 5 vials, Mahlabatini, 12.L62, 

 2 vials (/. L. Sheasby). 



Swaziland : Hlatikulu, 24.x. i960, 3 vials (W. G. H. Coaton). 



A total of 56 nest series were examined and material is in the British Museum 

 (Natural History) unless otherwise stated. 



R. coarctatus has been found in the nests of other species, under stones, and 

 occasionally building a small mound structure of its own. It is restricted to eastern 

 Africa, and its distribution appears to approximate most closely to the rather drier 

 vegetation types coming between the Brachystegia-Julbernardia woodland and the 

 Acacia-Commiphora steppes, grouped in Keay et al. (1959) under vegetation type 20. 

 It also occurs in the coastal savannah-forest mosaic, type 9, which has similar 

 rainfall to type 20. These vegetation types are more widely distributed in fact 

 than can be shown on the map, as small areas fringing the other types around 

 mountain blocks and plateaux, and in valleys. 



