Nov. 17, 1923 
Termites of the Canal Zone 
291 
7 p. m. on May 24, 1921. They were very abundant. It was raining 
slightly about this time. A light breeze made with a fan quickly dispersed 
them. 
EUTERMES DEBIUS 
This species is one of potential economic importance and of scientific 
interest because of its habits and history. Heer’s type is a fossilized 
form in gum copal in the Zurich Museum. Unfortunately neither the 
age nor the origin of this copal is given, though it is unquestionably of 
tropical American origin. It is probable, since it has been found in 
copal, that the species is an old one. Hagen (15) also examined another 
specimen in copal (from the Konigsberg Museum, Cabinet No. 559) in 
the Same piece of which was a winged specimen of the Antillean species 
Cryptoiermes brevis Walker. 
Von Moritz collected Eutermes debilis in Porto Rico and Burmeister 
obtained it in Brazil. Hagen described the soldier from specimens from 
Panama. Hence it is evident that E. debilis is widely distributed in the 
American Tropics. 
The exact localities in which this termite has been found in Panama 
are not known. A first-form queen in the Beaumont collection from 
Panama measures 24 mm. in length. 
EUTERMES EXIGUUS 
On May 11, 1921, at Las Sabanas, Messrs. Zetek and Molino found 
winged adults, soldiers, and workers of Eutermes exiguus in a mound 
nest of Amitermes medius; workers of Anoplotermes also occurred in 
this nest. 
AMITERMES BEAUMONTI 
No nests of Amitermes beaumonti were seen by Mr. Dietz. Soldiers 
of this species were found in the Beaumont collection and the species was 
named in his honor. It may be that the large mound nests to which 
Dudley and Beaumont (8) refer under the name of Termes columnar are 
those either of this species or a species of Anoplotermes. These nests 
were 5 feet in diameter and nearly 4 feet high. No termite nests approach¬ 
ing this size have been found in the Canal Zone or Panama by either Mr. 
Dietz or Mr. Zetek, who has traveled extensively throughout the entire 
region. 
SWARMING 
What appear to be the winged adults of this species were taken by 
August Busck at Trinidad River, Panama, on May 5, 1911, and by Dietz 
and Zetek at Juan Mina, May 14, 1919. The adults collected by Dietz and 
Zetek occurred sparingly among the enormous swarms of the larger, 
black, but otherwise superficially similar adults of Nasutitermes cornigera . 
AMITERMES MEDIUS 
This species is of interest because it is a close relative of Amitermes 
meridionalis Froggatt which builds the curiously oriented “meridional” 
or “magnetic” nests in Australia recently discussed by Mjoberg ( 16 ) and 
because it also builds a very conspicuous nest. These nests or termitaria 
are hard, more or less hemispherical, reddish or brownish earth mounds 
