162 
Psyche 
[September 
A NEW SPECIES OF THAUMATOMYRMEX FROM CUBA. 1 
By Wm. S. Creighton. 
The genus Thaumatomyrmex has hitherto been known from 
two species, T. mutilatus Mayr and T. ferox Mann. T. mutilatus, 
the type of the genus, was first described by Mayr in 1877 from 
material collected in Santa Catharina, Brazil. Unfortunately 
there are no field notes accompanying the description, even the 
collectors name having been omitted. Although Mayr was the 
first to describe this bizarre genus it seems altogether likely that 
the credit for its original discovery should go to Von Ihering. 
This worker began his observations and collecting in Rio 
Grande do Sul in 1880, seven years prior to Mayr’s descrip- 
tion. Yon Ihering's publication appeared in 1894 and in it 
Emery, who prepared the taxonomic section, figured for the 
first time the head of T. mutilatus. I have been unable to find 
any references to this ant, in Von Ihering’s rather voluminous 
field notes which form the major part of the paper. In 1920 
Dr. W. M. Mann while collecting in Honduras, took two workers 
of a second species, which he described two years later as T. 
ferox. These specimens were found “in a depression in a half 
rotten log near a stream in the forest” (San Juan Pueblo). 
The discovery of a third species in Cuba is of interest since 
it definitely places the genus with a number of genera known to 
be indigenous to the 'Antilles and to the tropical portions of the 
continent as well. The importance of a rare ant such as Thau- 
matomyrmex in the study of distribution will be obvious to any- 
one who has been confronted by the ever increasing problem of 
“tramp” species. Additional interest lies in the circumstances 
under which the new species was secured. These, while by no 
means conclusive, at least offer a hint as to the habits of the ants 
of this genus. In the fall of 1927 the writer enjoyed the privilege 
of spending two months at the Harvard Tropical Research 
Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory of the Bussey Insti- 
tution, Harvard University, No. 296. 
