1965] 
Brown — Typhlomyrmecini 
73 
The median carina on the postpetiole is a curious feature; it is 
symmetrical and does not look like a pathological condition. It is 
followed by a flat central area, which may even be slightly impressed. 
It remains to be seen whether the corresponding worker also carries it. 
On the head, the longitudinal striation is indistinct except on the 
cheeks, and dense opaque reticulo-punctulation prevails. Dorsal 
surface of alitrunk densely punctulate, opaque to subopaque; pro- 
podeum mostly smooth and shining; sides of alitrunk weakly shining, 
pronotal part densely punctulate, remainder finely longitudinally 
striate, with scattered punctures. Petiole smooth and shining, with 
sparse punctulation on sides. Gaster smooth and shining, but with 
dense punctulation. Scapes densely punctulate, subopaque, as are also 
most of legs; mesal surfaces of femora smooth and shining. 
Pubescence short, reelinate or appressed, fairly abundant over most 
dorsal body surfaces, gaster and appendages; longer fine hairs on 
clypeus, mandibles, and sparse on gaster above and below (abundant 
at gastric apex). Short oblique hairs extend beyond pubescence on 
scapes, funiculi and legs. 
Color light ferruginous, legs lighter and more yellowish; head 
infuscated around ocelli. 
Holotype (and only known specimen) from the vicinity of San 
Jose, Costa Rica, in 1940 (H. Schmidt leg.). Deposited in the 
collection of W. W. Kempf, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 
Typhlomyrmex pusillus (Figures 1, 2) 
Typhlomyrmex pusillus Emery, 1894, Bull. Soc. ent. Ital., 26: 141, pi. 1, 
fig. 2, worker. Type locality: Bolivia. 
Typhlomyrmex schmidti Menozzi, 1927, Ent. Mitt., 16: 268, female, male. 
Type locality: vie. San Jose, Costa Rica. Syntypes in Istituto di Entomo- 
logia della Universita, Bologna, Italy; 2 alate females examined. New 
synonymy. 
This is the smallest species of the genus. It will probably turn out 
to be much more common and widespread than it seems at present ; its 
habitat in the soil and its very small size have made it scarce in 
collections. 
Samples that I have referred to this species show so much variation 
that they may actually represent more than one species. Specimens 
from the south (northern Argentina, Santa Catarina) and the 
Colombian Andes (Venecia, near Medellin) average larger and more 
robust (HW 0.34-0.50 mm) than those from Amazon drainage and 
the Guianas. Among the smaller forms, most samples (Surinam: 
Dirkshoop and Maripaheuvel ; Brazil: near Belem do Para; Peru: 
Finca Santa Beatriz, Chanchamayo) have the petiolar node and 
