THE SOLDIERLESS TERMITES OF AFRICA 79 



Right mandible, apical to first marginal 



(Ra) 010 



Right mandible, first to second marginal 



(Ri) 009 



Right mandible, second marginal to molar 



(Rm) 0-05 



Most of the comparisons between A. mitis and other species of Group II have 

 already been made in the preceding descriptions. It is distinguishable from Group 

 III species mainly by the mandible and intestinal characters of the worker caste, 

 and by the vestigial third apical spur of the fore tibia. A. irrixosus is larger and 

 has the subsidiary marginal tooth of the left mandible widely separated from the 

 molar prominence. A. empodius has narrower meso- and metanota in the imago, 

 and shorter apical teeth to the mandibles. In the worker it is distinguished from 

 A. mitis by the almost dorsal, sessile, three-lobed enteric valve seating and the 

 distinct third apical spur of the fore tibiae. The abdomen of the worker of 

 A. mitis is definitely dehiscent. 



Holotype queen and paratype workers from type-colony, Malawi: Zomba 

 Mountain, altitude 5,800 ft, 1956 (4. W . R. MacCrae) in British Museum (Natural 

 History). 



No biological information is available about the single known nest-series. 



Astalotermes murcus sp. n. 



(Text-figs 114, 115, 124, 125 & 150-155) 



Imago. Head capsule chestnut-brown, darker above ocelli; fontanelle oval, outline indistinct 

 about half as large as ocellus, flat or slightly depressed, colour as head capsule; medial spot 

 circular, flat, slightly smaller than fontanelle, same colour; postclypeus chestnut-brown, labrum 

 yellow-brown; frontal marks flat, very indistinct crescents, coloured as head; antennae brown. 

 Pronotum chestnut-brown, meso- and metanota brown, transverse sutures weak or absent; 

 legs, femora and tibiae yellow-brown, tarsi pale yellow. Abdominal tergites brown, dorsal 

 stigmata sepia-brown; sternites yellow-brown, yellow in middle, ventral stigmata brown; 

 cerci pale brown. 



Posterior margin of head capsule evenly rounded; ocelli rather small, separated from com- 

 pound eyes by slightly less to slightly more than own least diameter; postclypeus weakly 

 inflated, Pcl/VV, 0-19-0-21, Pc1/Ra, 2-33-2-53, posterior margin broadly rounded or slightly 

 angular, median suture very weak. Apical teeth of mandibles short, La/Li, 0-55— 0-59, R^/Ri, 

 0-83; subsidiary marginal tooth of left mandible separated from molar prominence by distinct 

 notch in surface view, complex ratio L\lL\.h m , 6-60-6-81; points of apical and marginal teeth 

 of right mandible in line, anterior edge of first marginal distinctly longer than that of second. 

 Pilosity of head capsule brown, very long emergent setae with definite pelt of shorter setae 

 beneath; longest setae reach well beyond outer curve of compound eyes. Meso- and metanota 

 rather narrower at constriction, M/W, 0-26-0-27. Fore tibia with third apical spur distinct. 



Measurements (two specimens from one locality) in millimetres. 



Head width across eyes (W) 

 Ocellus (O w x Oi) 

 Ocellus to eye (O-E) 

 Postclypeus length (Pel) 

 Antennal article III 



1-11-1-23 

 008 x o-io 

 007-008 

 0-21-0-26 

 003-005 



