76 W. A. SANDS 



Major soldier Minor soldiers 



Width of pronotum . 0-51 . . . . 0-41 



Length of pronotum . 0-23 . . . . 0-18 



Length of hind tibia . both broken .... 0-94-1-00 



Since this is a monotypic genus, its relationships have already been discussed 

 under the generic heading. There is a slight possibility that the imagos described 

 as Trinervitermes saudiensis sp. n. from Jiddah belong to this species, in view of their 

 unusually wide fontanelle and small eyes, but this cannot be settled without further 

 collecting. 



Holotype, major soldier, Aden Protectorate : Burum, W. of Mukalla, i2.xii. 

 1951 (W. V. Harris, coll. no. 796), in B.M.(N.H.). 



Morphotype and one paratype minor soldiers, same data as holotype, also in 

 B.M.(N.H.). 



It is recorded as found with Trinervitermes arabiae Harris in small loose sand 

 heaps over narrow exit holes. 



TRINERVITERMES Holmgren 



Eutermes {Trinervitermes) Holmgren, 1912 : 59 [Subgenus of Eutermes Heer]. 

 Trinervitermes Fuller, 1921 : 19 [full generic status]. Type species, by subsequent designation 

 (Sjostedt, 1926 : 325), Trinervitermes trinervins (Rambur, 1842). 



Holmgren (1912) on first creating the subgenus, Eutermes (Trinervitermes) included 

 a total of sixteen species, but did not designate the type-species. Fuller (1921) 

 raised Trinervitermes to full generic status, consequent on the substitution by Banks 

 (1919) of the name Nasutitermes for Eutermes s. str. as used by Holmgren (1912), but 

 again, did not designate a type-species. Termes trinervius Rambur, 1842 was 

 designated by Sjostedt (1926) as type-species of the genus Trinervitermes. This 

 choice was unfortunate because the unique holotype of T. trinervius (Ramb.) is a 

 pinned dried <J, from which the head capsule has been removed or lost, and the 

 species is the most confused in the genus as a result of subsequent misidentifications. 

 There is however no doubt of its correct assignment to the genus, in spite of its 

 somewhat uncertain specific identity. The usage of Trinervitermes as a genus or 

 subgenus was subject to some variation between 192 1 and 195 1, but it is now 

 generally accepted as having full generic status. 



Imago. Left mandible with apical tooth as long as or slightly shorter than first marginal, 

 distance from apical to first marginal slightly less to slightly more than one-third distance 

 between first and third marginals (left mandible index -2g--4i), second marginal obsolete, cutting 

 edge between first and third marginals straight ; right mandible with apical and first marginal 

 subequal as left, cutting posterior edge of first marginal distinctly longer than that of second 

 marginal, molar plate with no marked irregularity of outline in surface view, and 5-9 transverse 

 ridges, first much larger than rest, forming a blunt tooth, the more posterior ridges less prominent 

 (Text-figs. 185-195). Postclypeus length slightly less to slightly more than half width. Fon- 

 tanelle pale coloured, slit-like, forked anteriorly, to approximately triangular, lateral arms 



