Platythyrea pruinosa, 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 : 358-359

Platythyrea pruinosa, Mayr .

(No. 43 a a 43 e). [[ worker ]] [[ male ]]. [[ worker ]]. La couleur varie du roussatre au brun noiratre. L. 6, 5 mill. La ponctuation grossiere eparse est parfois plus acaentuee, parfois fort superficielle. Aire frontale et sillon frontal visibles.

[[ male ]], L. 6, 0 mill. Tres semblable a l'ouvriere. Pygidium arme d'une epine Mandibules grosses, trigones, sans dents. Les yeux occupent environ la moitie des cotes de la tete qui a un bord posterieur net et rectiligne; occiput tronque. Aretes frontales, epistome, aire frontale et sillon frontal comme chez l'ouvriere. Scape court. Premier article du funicule aussi large que long; second article du funicule le plus long, plus long que le scape; les autres vont en se raccourcissant. Face declive du metanotum bordee de deux petites aretes lamelleuses. Pedicule comme chez l'ouvriere, mais plus fortement bisinue derriere, do sorte qu'il s'y forme trois dents assez nettes. Les ailes n'atteignent pas l'extre- mite de l'abdomen, Tache marginale largo, assez arrondie; cellule radiale fermee; nervures brunes, distinctes. Les ailes sont enfumees de brun. La P. cineracea, For. , n'est qu' une variete do la pruinosa .

La ponctuation grossiere espacee est beaucoup plus profonde et plus grossiere sur la tete, le thorax, le pedicule et le 1 er segment do l'abdomen que chez les ouvrieres de la mome fourmiliere. Du reste sculpture, pubescence et coulour comme chez l´ouvriere.

(43). Rather rave; forest or open lands. The communities are small - three or four to twenty - and the formicarium is generally, if not invariably, in rotten wood; it consists of a single small chamber, or of several connected ones, in which the ants are found with their young. I believe these ants are nocturnal; they seem averse to daylight. In a neglected building I found some of them moving about in the daytime, but they ran quickly from one shelter to another, avoiding the light as much as possible. They are quite active, but not pugnacious.

(43 a). Fitz-Hugh Valley (leeward), 500 ft.. Nov. 4 th. Shady place, in a rotten stick. The chambers and connecting passages had an extent of about three inches, and there were perhaps twenty ants.. (43 b). Richmond Valley (leeward), Oct. 31 st. Open place not far from sea-level; in rotten log.

(43 c). Not noted.

(13 d). Forest above Chateaubelais (leeward), 1000 ft. April. In rotten wood.

(43 e). Windward; sandy bed of Dry River, near sea. Jan. 2 nd. Open land; under a stone. Community of about twenty.