Art. XXIV.—Description of a New Genus of the Family Formicidæ.* Comptes-rendus de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, séance du 7 Juin, 1890. Translated from the French by H. Suter, Christchurch.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 24, 1891, Page 303

Art. XXIV.—Description of a New Genus of the Family Formicidæ.* Comptes-rendus de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, séance du 7 Juin, 1890. Translated from the French by H. Suter, Christchurch. By Aug. Forel, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry in the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Communicated by H. Suter. [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 4th November, 1891.] Gen. Huberia, n. gen. ☿. Antennæ of 11 joints; the joints 2 to 6 of the funicule short, becoming more and more stout and rounded; club rather stout, consisting of four joints. Maxillary palpi five-jointed; labial palpi three-jointed. Mandibles triangular, with a large terminal margin, which is armed with two rather strong denticles anteriorly and about seven small ones posteriorly. Epistome with a longitudinal channel in the middle, without spines or denticles, prolonged between the joints of the antennæ; its posterior margin is neither elevated nor distorted. Frontal area distinct, somewhat rounded posteriorly, as in the genus Aphænogaster. Frontal channel distinct. Frontal spines and eyes of ordinary shape. No ocelli. Thorax strongly excavated between the mesonotum and metanotum; the pronotum and the mesonotum are hardly more elevated than the metanotum. The pro-mesonotal suture slightly impressed. Metanotum convex, with two spines. The first node of the pedicle rather prolonged petiolate anteriorly. Abdomen not truncate. ♀. Characters of the ☿. The mesonotum nearly attains the anterior limit of the thorax. The mandibles have about nine small denticles behind the two anterior teeth. Metanotum bidentate. The wings with one small cubital cell only, one great discoidal cell, and one radial cell, which is slightly

open (but not far from being closed). The transverse nervure unites with the external cubital branch far from the point of separation. In aspect this genus resembles, even to confounding, the genera Myrmica and Aphænogaster, from which it differs by the antennæ of 11 joints and the wings. A close examination, however, reveals closer affinities with the genus Monomorium; its wings are more identical with those of Monomorium (relative size of cells, &c.). The channel of the epistome, which is excavated anteriorly, also indicates a tendency to the spines of Monomorium. H. striata, Smith. (Trans. Ent. Soc., London, 1876, p. 481.) Tetramorium striatum, Smith (l.c.). ☿ ♀ ♂. To Mr. Smith's description, who placed this species, one does not know why, in the genus Tetramorium, with which it has not the least affinity, there is to be added: ☿. L. 4–3mm. to 4–9mm. Mandibles strongly striated. The head is shining, but not quite smooth as stated by Mr. Smith. The epistome, the front, the cheeks, and the sides of the eyes are longitudinally striated; the striæ of the front are divergent; the dimples of the antennæ have semicircular striæ. The thorax has five more or less transverse striæ, often rather distant, and partly elegantly distorted, which gives it quite a peculiar appearance. The metanotum (basal face) is very convex. The nodes of the pedicle are rounded, in shape like those of Aphænogaster. A reddish, rather scattered pilosity on the body, with almost no adjacent pubescence. On the feet a long, somewhat erect, coarse and distant pubescence; no dressed hairs on the tibias. On the scapes the hairs are oblique. Epistome excavated in the middle, and bisinuated on the sides. ♀. L. 7–8mm. to 8–8mm. Much stronger striated than the ☿, and subopaque. Everything is strongly striated, except the middle (channel) of the epistome, the declivous face of the metanotum, and the abdomen, which are smooth and shining. The remainder of the epistome is more wrinkled than striated. Wings finely pubescent, moderately coloured with blackish-brown. Nervures and marginal spot blackish-brown. The ☿ and ♀ of this curious species were collected by Mr. H. Suter on the 21st October, 1889, under stones near the Hermitage, Mount Cook (2,540ft. altitude), South Island of New Zealand, together with Monomorium nitidum, Smith, which is abundant in the same locality. Mr. Smith (l.c.) also wrongly assigned Monomorium nitidum to the genus Tetramorium, a mistake already corrected by Mayr.