1929] 
New Forms of Odontoponera transversa 
151 
of biconcentrica. Were this the only distinction the validity 
of biconcentrica would be extremely doubtful but, as I shall 
show later, there are other very significant differences by 
which that form may be separated. 
Smith, with his customary predilection for minor details, 
has noted certain characteristics of color in his original des- 
cription which permit a rather accurate inference as to the 
nature of the true transversa. I have chosen to regard as 
typical a form which occurs in southern China, Indochina, 
Burma, the Phillipines, Borneo and Java. This insect shows 
the piceous body and ferrugineous appendages mentioned 
by Smith. Furthermore its distribution is considerably more 
extensive than that of any of the other forms and it seems 
logical to suppose that it would be the first to be taken. The 
distribution of the remaining variants is much more res- 
tricted. The range of nitens (subsp. nov.) extends from Bor- 
neo through Java and Sumatra to Singapore. Infuscata 
(var. nov) is known only from Java and one of the Sunda 
Islands. The distribution of biconcentrica appears to be 
more northern. It occurs in China and the Philippines but 
the material is so scarce that its range is largely a matter 
of speculation. 
The following key may facilitate the separation of the 
various forms : 
1. Posterior angles of the enipotum each armed with one 
or two acute short teeth, the subpetiolar lamella feebly 
pilose, the rugae strongly shining subsp. nitens 
Posterior angles of the epinotum each armed with a di- 
vergent series of three or four broad, coarse teeth, 
the subpetiolar lamella strongly pilose, the rugae 
opaque or subopaque 2. 
2. Head one-fifth longer than broad, the sides approxi- 
mately parallel ; color dull yellow, the abdomen 
brownish subsp. biconcentrica 
Head as broad as long, the sides feebly convex, color 
black, the appendages ferrugineous or brownish 
black 3. 
