298 _ . Bulletin American Museum of Natural History... [Vol. XXXIV, 
_and fully as long as broad at their bases; the postpetiole is nearly twice as 
broad as long, with bluntly conulate lateral borders. The pubescence is 
sparse but distinct, especially on the gaster. The surface of the thorax is 
densely rugulose-punctate, the pedicel and gaster densely and finely punc- 
tate, with larger, sparser piligerous punctures. . The scuplture of the head 
resembles that of the soldier but is much coarser and the longitudinal rug 
are longer and more prominent. In the worker the epinotal spines are 
distinctly longer than in the cotype from Lower California, and additional 
material from this locality may show that the Californian form is a distinct 
variety. 
16. Pheidole militicida sp. nov. 
Soldier. Length 8 mm. | 
Head large, subcordate, scarcely longer than broad, distinctly broader behind 
than in front, with very deeply and angularly excised posterior border, in profile 
moderately convex above and below, the greatest depth being in the middle; cheeks 
slightly concave; eyes small, about 4 the length of the head from the anterior corners. 
Occipital furrow deep. Mandibles very convex, bluntly bidentate at their tips. 
Clypeus short, flat, ecarinate, its anterior border distinctly notched in the middle. 
Frontal area elongate, deep, triangular, smooth, without a median ecarinula. Frontal 
caring short, strongly diverging. Antenne small, slender; scapes much curved but 
not flattened at the base, reaching only as far as the eyes, joints 2-8 of the funiculus 
slightly longer than broad, club shorter than the remainder of the funiculus, its two 
basal joints subequal, together a little longer than the terminal joint. Thorax 
robust, with rather prominent, rounded humeri, the distance between which is less 
than half the width of the head; pro- and mesonotum forming together a sub- 
spherical mass in profile, the mesonotum being without a. transverse constriction or 
torus. Mesoépinotal constriction very deep. Epinotum short and high, its base 
in profile convex and passing into the sloping concave and somewhat longer declivity 
without a distinct boundary; spines stout; blunt, half as long as the distance between 
their bases, with slightly recurved tips, directed upward and somewhat outward and 
backward. Petiole from above but slightly longer than broad, with short, indistinct 
peduncle, broadest through the node, which is transverse, much compressed antero- 
posteriorly, with sharp, broadly excised border. Postpetiole somewhat less than 
twice as broad as the petiole, nearly twice as broad as long, forming above a low, 
anteroposteriorly compressed node, its sides produced in the middle as distinct 
conules. Gaster somewhat smaller than the head, flattened; broadly elliptical. 
Legs rather long and slender. 
Shining; mandibles and posterior 2 of head sparsely and rather finely punctate; 
sides of clypeus and anterior third of head sharply and rather finely longitudinally 
rugose, the rugee between the frontal carine diverging posteriorly, those on the cheeks 
separated by punctate spaces. Base of epinotum transversely, its sides irregularly 
rugulose; anterior surface of postpetiolar node with a series of short, parallel grooves. 
Gaster and legs with scattered, piligerous punctures. 
Hairs rather short, golden yellow, abundant, erect or suberect, covering the whole 
body, scapes and legs. | 
