84 W. A. SANDS 



Astalotermes brevior (Holmgren) comb, et stat. n. 



(Text-figs 160-162, 172, 173 & 184-189; PI. 1, fig. 7) 



Mirotermes (Cubitermes) natalensis form brevior Holmgren, 1913 : 357. Syntypes, Republic 



of South Africa: Natal, Zululand, Mkosi (6* in American Museum of Natural History 



[examined]; others, sex unknown, in Mus. Goteborg). 

 Anoplotermes sanctus Silvestri, 1914 : 57. LECTOTYPE $, Angola: Sao Paulo de Loanda 



(Silvestri Coll., Istituto di Entomologia Agraria, Naples), here designated [examined]. Syn. 



n. 

 Mirotermes (Procubitermes) mbazwanicus Fuller, 1925 : 189. LECTOTYPE $, Republic of 



South Africa: Natal, Zululand, Mbaswane Swamp (National Collection of Isoptera, Pretoria), 



here designated [examined]. Syn. n. 

 Mirotermes (? 'Procubitermes) mfolozii form warreni Fuller, 1925 : 191. LECTOTYPE $, 



Republic of South Africa: Natal, Mont aux Sources (National Collection of Isoptera, 



Pretoria), here designated [examined]. Syn. n. 



Imago. Head capsule very dark sepia-brown, pitch-black around ocelli and compound 

 eyes; fontanelle variable, from broad oval only slightly smaller than ocelli, brown, and paler 

 than head, to small, elongate oval, coloured as head, and from slightly raised to depressed or 

 with median groove; commonest form depressed elongate oval about half size of ocellus slightly 

 paler than head; medial spot short oval, flat, dark sepia-brown; postclypeus dark sepia-brown, 

 labrum sepia-brown with hyaline tip; frontal marks distinct, semi-circular, depressed, sepia- 

 brown; antennae sepia-brown. Pronotum, meso- and metanota, dark sepia-brown, transverse 

 dark sutures of meso- and metanota very distinct; legs, sepia-brown apart from pale yellow 

 tarsi. Abdominal tergites and sternites sepia-brown, dorsal stigmata darker, sternites paler 

 in mid-line, ventral stigmata slightly darker; cerci brown. 



Posterior margin of head capsule undulating, not evenly rounded, ocelli medium-sized, 

 distance from compound eyes varies from just one-half own least diameter up to distinctly 

 more than own least diameter; postclypeus rather weakly to moderately inflated, Pcl/W, 

 0-23-0-27; Pc1/Ra, 2-74-3-73, posterior margin evenly rounded, median suture usually distinct, 

 always present. Apical teeth of mandibles short, La/Li, 0-41-0-56, R A /Ri, 0-59-0-79; sub- 

 sidiary marginal tooth of left mandible just clear of molar prominence on surface view, complex 

 ratio, La/Li. L m , 6-07-10-00; first marginal tooth of right mandible slightly behind line of apical 

 to second marginal, its anterior margin distinctly shorter than that of second. Pilosity of 

 head capsule generally uneven, no pelt, some specimens slightly more even, sepia-brown. 

 Meso- and metanota less narrow at constriction, M/W, 0-25-0-31. Fore tibia with third apical 

 spur shorter but distinct. 



Measurements (30 specimens from 19 localities) in millimetres. 



Range Mean ± S.D. 



Head width across eyes (W) 0-86-1-20 1043 ±0086 

 Ocellus (O w x Oi) . . 006-010 x 0-IO-O-I3 0080 ± 0-009 x 0-109 ± 0008 



Ocellus to eye (O-E) . 0-04-0-09 0066 ± o-on 



Postclypeus length (Pel) . 0-23-0-31 0-262 ± 0-024 



Antennal article III . . 002-004 0032 ± 0-006 



Antennal article IV . 0-03-0-06 0-044 ± 0-007 



Antennal article V . . 0-04-0-06 0-046 i 0-007 



Left mandible, apical to 



first marginal (La) • 0-06-0-10 0-081 ±0-011 



Left mandible, first to third 



marginal (Li) . . 0-13-0-19 0159 ± 0-016 

 Left mandible, third mar- 

 ginal to molar (Lm) . 005-008 0069 i 0009 



