Prionopelta punctulata, Mayr

Forel, A., 1893, Formicides de l'Antille St. Vincent. Récoltées par Mons. H. H. Smith., Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1893, pp. 333-418 : 367-369

Prionopelta punctulata, Mayr .

(No. 40 a a 40 h), [[ worker ]] [[ male ]].

[[ male ]] (encore inedit). L. 2, 5 mill. Tout a l'ait semblable aux. [[ male ]] des Amblyopone , en particulier A celui de l´ A. gheorghieffi, Forel .

Mais los ailes n'ont qu'une cellule cubitale et la nervure transverse

a' unit un ramean cubital externe. L'hypopygium se termine par une pointe mediane allongee, poilue et obtuse a l'extremite. Les valvules genitales exterieures sont tres obtuses. Le pygidium est arrondi, sans pointe. Le pedicule est plus arrondi et descend devant en pente plus douce. Il n'a dessous qu'un petit tuberculo a peine apparent. Tete grande, ronde; yeux situes tres en avant; ocelles petits.

Luisant; finement reticule. Pilosite dressee, jaunatre, tres fine, courte, tres pointue, oblique sur les tibias et parfois ailleurs (passant a la pubescence), assez abondante. D'un brun fonce, presque noiratre; pattes et antennes d'un brun jaunatre pale (l'ouvriere est de couleur jaune pale et presque aveugle).

Les caracteres ci-dessus sont en meme temps ceux du genre, dont le [[ male ]] etait encore inconnu (voir la figure).

(40). Pretty common, five to fifty together, scattered in small passages, generally under sod in damp places. It would appear that the female does not differ in form from the worker, or else I have found only the latter in the nests, for I have been able to discover only one form, though I have searched carefully. These ants are very sluggish, crawling away slowly when the nest is uncovered, and taking little care to protect the larvae which are found with them.

N. B. - There is perhaps more than one species included in this number, which I cannot discriminate with my lens.

(40 a). Fitz-Hugh Valley (leeward), 500 ft. Nov. 4 th. Second growth. Under sod on a damp rock.

(40 b). Near Palmyra Estate (leeward), 1000 ft. Nov. 7 th. Shady place, under sod on rocks (from two nests).

(4 c). Fitz-Hugh Valley (leeward), 500 ft. Nov. 4 th. Under sod on damp rock.

(40 d). Richmond Estate (leeward), Oct. 31 st. Valley near sea-level; open place, in soft rotten wood, generally half an inch from the surface. Three or four together in very small chambers, with a few eggs or larvae. I could not discover if the chambers were connected. Ants try to conceal themselves in crevices when disturbed.

(40 e). Fitz-Hugh Valley (leeward), 500 ft. Shady place near stream; under sod on a rock. The nest or passage was several inches long. The community, an unusually large one, contained perhaps fifty individuals.

(40 f). From two nests. Valleys on the leeward side below 1000 ft.; under sod on rocks.

(40 g). Petit Bordelle Valley, 1500 ft. Nov. 13 th .. Under sod on rocks; shady banks of stream. From two small nests.

(40 h). Hermitage Estate, Cumberland Valley. Dec. 2 nd, 1000 ft. Edge of forest; under dry sod on a rock. Community of perhaps fifty. The male was found with the workers, but there were several other kinds of ants on the same rock.