Formica smaragdina

Smith, F., 1858, Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae., London: British Museum : 17

61. Formica smaragdina . Pl. III. fig. 3. B.M.

Formica smaragdina, Fabr. Spec. Ins. i. 488.2 [[queen]]; Mant. i. 307.3; Ent. Syst. ii. 350. 3; Syst. Piez. 397. 4.

Christ. Hym. t. 60. 1.

Gmel. Syst. Nat. Ins. ii. 2797. 20.

Oliv. Encycl. Meth. vi. 491. 5.

Latr. Hist. Nat. Fourm. 176. pl. 3. f. 18.

St. Farg. Hym. i. 218. 25.

Jerdon, Madr. Journ. Nat. Hist. (1851) 121 [[male]] [[queen]] [[worker]]; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd ser. xiii. 104.

Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. ii. 53.

Formica viridis, Kirby , Trans. Linn. Soc. xii. 477 [[queen]]

Hab. India (Malabar); Ceylon; Sumatra; Celebes; Philippine Islands.

This ant is plentiful in Malabar and the wooded parts of India; it forms a nest of living leaves which it draws together without detaching from the branch, and unites with a fine white web; sometimes the nest is a foot in diameter, but usually smaller. These societies are very numerous. (Jerdon, Madras Journ.)

The short palpi and somewhat different neuration of the wings will probably render it necessary to remove this species from the genus Formica , in which for the present we retain it.