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PRELIMINARY NOTE ON ANOTHER WHITE ANT 
CAUSING DAMAGE TO NEW CLEARINGS. 
Some cases have recently been brought to the notice of the 
Department of Agriculture, F.M.S., Kuala Lumpur, in which Termes 
carbonarius has been found killing newly planted stumps by stripping 
them of their bark. 
Up to the present this has only been noticed on old tapioca 
estates.' 
This termites were previously considered harmless and it is 
important to find out as soon as possible how far their ravages have 
been noticed elsewhere. 
Termes carbonarius may be distinguished from other “White 
Ants or Termites, as they are more correctly called, by the large 
size and sooty colouring of the soldiers. 
The soldiers of this species are of two kinds ; the larger over half 
an inch long including the mandibles or nippers, which can inflict an 
unpleasant bite ; the smaller, about three eighths of an inch. 
The mandibles are curved upward to the tips and do not possess 
teeth between the base and the tip. 
The queen is as large as that of Termes malayanus, attaining a 
length of three inches. These Termites are often found in the same 
nest as T ermes sulphurous, the little sulphur yellow species, which lives 
in hard cased mounds sometimes five feet high. The queen of 
Termes sulphur eus averages only one and a quarter inch in length. 
Termes sulphurous and carbonarius are both described in books as 
harmless, being fungus (or “ mould ”) eaters. The fungus grows on 
cakes or masses of vegetable matter which are stored in special 
chambers in the nest. 
Up to now analyses of these masses have failed to show any 
traces of rubber, but further samples are wanted for analysis with 
notes of the depth at which they are found, as those examined may 
only have been collected by Termes sulphurous. 
« The nests constructed by Termes carbonarius are large mounds, 
•often 6 feet high, very massive and irregular in shape. The exterior 
is chiefly composed of earthy matter with oval or round chambers 
distributed throughout the nest. These contain the fungus beds 
mentioned above. The centre of the mounds is composed of delicate 
laminae of clay and below or in the centre of this the Queen cell 
is to be found. When disturbed, ants of this .species have the habit 
of hammering their heads against portions of the nest, which 
produces a clicking noise. As many as four kinds of termites may 
be found within the mound made by this species. 
