ETHIOPIAN NASUTITERMITINAE 



161 



Head length to tip of nose 

 Head width . 

 Depth of head capsule 

 Width of pronotum 

 Length of pronotum 

 Length of hind tibia 



Range Mean 



1-22-1-61 . . . . 1 43 



082-1 02 .... 094 



0-49-0-64 .... 058 



0-43-0-51 .... 0-47 



018-0-25 .... 0-2I 



0-59-0-77 .... 0-67 



M . edentatus was described from a unique soldier, and additional material agrees 

 well with the original description. The characteristics separating it from the other 

 two species are discussed thereunder. 



Material (other than holotype, Sands, 1956). Ghana : 30m. from Navrongo on 

 Tumu Road, 13.iii.1959 (W. A. Sands). 



M. edentatus, like its congeners, has been recorded from the mounds of other 

 genera, but appears, unlike them, to be adapted to life in shaded habitats in the 

 savannah zones, and has not been found in rain forest. 



Mimeutermes giffardii Silvestri 

 (Text-figs. 455, 456, 462, 476-478, 493. 494 I Map 32) 

 Mimeutermes giffardii Silvestri, 1914 : 48. Type locality : Guinea, Camayenne. 



Imago. Head capsule very dark sepia brown, antennae and postclypeus sepia brown, labrum 

 yellow. Pronotum, meso- and metanota sepia brown, other thoracic sclerites brown, femora 

 yellow, tibiae and tarsi yellow-brown. Abdominal tergites brown, sternites brown laterally, 

 yellow-white in mid-line. Wing membrane translucent pale brown, venation sepia brown, all 

 distinct. 



Posterior margin of head capsule behind eyes widely rounded, sharply curved outwards at 

 eye rim ; fontanelle scarcely paler than head capsule, sometimes slightly bifurcate in front with 

 paler spot ; eyes slightly but distinctly set out from sides of head, angularly short oval, promin- 

 ent in proportion to own diameter and medium-sized relative to head width, W/E index 

 2-9-3-0 ; ocelli small, separated from eyes by half to three-quarters own least diameter ; 

 anterior margin of postclypeus sinuate, convex in middle, posterior convex, rounded, width 2-2 

 times length ; antennae 15 segmented, IV and V nearly equal, II shorter and narrower, III 

 much smaller. Pronotum narrower than head width across eyes. 



Pilosity of vertex and pronotum yellow-brown, uneven in length with many scattered larger 

 setae, not forming a "pelt " or " mat ". Abdominal pilosity longer and denser on posterior 

 segments, sternites more so than tergites. 



Measurements (12 specimens from 3 localities) in millimetres. 



Range 

 Head width across eyes 0-89-0-97 



Greatest diameter of eye 0-31-0-33 



Ocellus . . . 0-08-0-09 X 0-09-0-11 



Ocellus to eye 

 Width of pronotum 

 Length of pronotum 

 Length of hind tibia 

 Length of fore wing 



0-04-0-07 

 0-78-0-89 

 0-61-0-71 

 0-82-0-87 

 8-20-8-60 



Soldier. Head capsule yellow to ferruginous orange, nose orange to ferruginous orange, rest 

 of body cuticle yellow. 



Mean 



o-94 

 031 

 •09 x o- 

 006 

 0-85 

 o-66 

 0-84 

 8-38 



