Triglyphothrix striatidens Emery as a cave ant.

'.'. Hrc'-vr, Jf
':0!.. LECTION

Author's Copy.

RECORDS

of the

INDIAN MUSEUM

Vol. XXVI, Part I, pp. 123-125.

Hymenoptera of the Siju Cave,
Garo Hills, Assam.

By
W. M. WHEELER

AND

S. A. ROHWER.

CALCUTTA :

JANUARY, 1924.

HYMENOPTERA OF THE SIJU CAVE, GARO HILLS, ASSAM.

CONTENTS.

Page.

I. Triglypkolhrix striatidens Emery as a cave ant. By W. M. Wheeler ... 123
II. Description of a new Braconid. By 8. A. Rohwer ... J2 *

I. TRIGLYPHOTHRIX STRIATIDENS EMEEY AS A CAVE

ANT.

By WILLIAM MORTON WHEELER.

Dr. S. Kemp has sent me for identification several workers and a
winged female of a small ant taken by the Zoological Survey of India
in the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. The insects were nesting in com-
plete darkness, 400 feet from the entrance of the cave, under 'stones in
ground heavily manured with bat-guano. Dr. Kemp surmises that the
ant is not a regular cavernicolous species and this proves to be true, for
it is Triglyphothrix striatidens Emery, a highly adaptable Indian species
which for some years has been extending its range, not only in the Old.
but also to the New World. In a paper entitled " An Indian Ant Intro-
duced into the United States " (Journ. Econ. Ent. 9, 1916, pp. 566-
569, 1 fig.) I cited the known distribution of T. slriatidens in 1916. ' It
had spread from India to the Bismarck Archipelago, Queensland, For-
mosa, Ceram, Sumatra, Borneo, Guam, Tunis and Sierra Leone. In
America it had been taken in Barbados, Mexico and Audubon Park,
Louisiana. As early as 1906 Bingham found it in the propagating pits
of the Kew Botanic Garden, and in 1905 and 1908 Donisthorpe recorded
it as common in the palm house of the same institution.

In this connection I would note that Mr. F. W. Urich recently sent
me from Trinidad two species of ants which he took in the cave in-
habited by the singular " guacharo," or fat-bird (Steatornis caripensis
Humboldt). One of the species, which was living in the nests of the
birds, is Wasmannia auropunctata Eoger, a well-known and widely dis-
tributed neotropical ant, which usually nests under stones or bark.
The other, which was living in the guano of the guacharo, belongs to
a new genus and will be described as Spelaeomyrmex urichi, gen. et sp,
nov. It is evidently a true cavernicolous ant, blind, pale-coloured and
covered with long, sparse sense-hairs.

Santschi [ Formicidse. Voyage de Ch. Alluaud et R. Jeannel en
Afrique Orientale (1911-12), 1914] has recorded the following ants as
having been taken by Alluaud and Jeannel in the caves at Tanga and
Shimoni, East Africa : Ponera dulcis Forel, Leptogenys jeanneli San.,
Odontomachus haematoda L. var. troglodytes San., Dorylus (Ehogmus)
fimbriat,us Shuck., Monomorium rhopalocerum Emery subsp. speluncarum
' San., Strumigenys stygia San., Epitritus marginatus San. and Prenolepis
(Nylanderia) jaegerskioeldi Mayr. Probably none of these can be re-
garded as a true cavernicolous species. Of course, ants that nest in the

[ 123 ]

I 2

124 Records of the Indian Museum. [ VOL. XXVI,

ground or under stones are really cave-dwellers, and many of them
would probably adapt themselves to living in the large cavities, to
which we restrict the terms "cave" or "cavern," were it not that
their food supply is usually too meagre to sustain whole colonies of
social insects.

II. DESCEIPTION OF A NF,W BRACONID.
By S. A. BOHWER, U. S. Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C.

The specimens of this new genus and species of Braconid were re-
cently forwarded to the author with the request that the species be
named. The form is a very interesting one and although the sender
stated that they were living in total darkness they show none of the
usual characteristics which accompany this mode of life. From their
systematic relationship and general habitus it may be expected that
this species will be found to be a parasite of some internally feeding
insect and perhaps one belonging to the order Coleoptera.

Neontsira, new genus.

The second intercubitus .is obsolent, although its position is clearly
indicated,' and because of this one might be justified in saying that this
new genus would fall in the subfamily Hecabolinae as defined by Szeplt-
geti. 1 It does not agree entirely with the characterization of this group
because the head is not cubical, nor does it agree with any of the genera
placed in the subfamily. Considering that the fore wings have three
cubital. cells, and I think we should, the genus will fall more exactly in
the subfamily Hormiinae as defined by Szepligeti. It does not agree
with any genus in this group, however, and it seems necessary to con-
sider the head .cubical and place the genus, in the subfamily Doryctinae.
In the key to the genera of this subfamily the new genus runs fairly
satisfactorily to Ontsira Cameron, and when compared with the descrip-
tion of Cameron's genus seems to have a number of significant charac-
ters in common with it. From Ontsira it may, however, be distinguished
by the strongly postfurcal nervulus, the different first tergite, the simple
hind coxae and the absence of an impressed line on the prescutum.

Genotype. Neontsira typica, new species.

Head when seen from above subcubical, narrowing behind the eyes,
and broadly projecting between eyes ; when seen from below the head
is more nearly, cubical because the projection between the eyes is not
separable ; ocelli arranged in an acute triangle ; eyes oval, prominent ;
malar space long ; flagellar joints nearly of uniform length; notauli .
nearly complete ; scutellum margined laterally ; propodeum with the
dorsal surface separated from the lateral and posterior aspects by a
carina, the posterior aspect with two median carinae ; prepectal carina
strong ; sternauli and episternauli present ; .legs rather long, slender ;
hind coxae elongate ; trochanters long ; radius leaving stigma, a short

\ Genera Inseetorum, Braconidae, fas. 22, 1904,

1924.1 Fauna of the Siju Gave. 125

J J J

distance beyond middle ; first abscissa of radius about half as long as
the first intercubitus ; radial cell completely closed ; recurrent inter-
stitial : nervulus postfurcal by at least its length ; subdiscoideus nearly
interstitial, slightly curved at base ; radiella obsolescent, indicated by a
faint line ; cubitella interstitial and extending to near apex of wing ;
first tergite elongate ; no accessory sutures on tergites and all sutures
feeble, so the second and third tergites are nearly fused ; only four ter-
gites visible.

Neontsira typica, new species.

- Female. Length, 3-5 mm. ; length of antenna, 3 mm. ; length of
ovipositor 1-5 mm. Face finely tesselate ; frons, vertex and orbits
shining ; antenna 22-jointed, the apical joint longer than the preced-
ing and acute apicaily ; scutum and scutellum opaque, finely granular ;
notauli f oveolate ; mesepisternum polished, the sutures fpveolate ; dorsal
aspect of propodeum reticulate, with an indication of a median carina
which divides posteriorly ; first tergite about twice as long as apical
width, finely and evenly striate ; second tergite with fine, even, longi-
tudinal striae ; third tergite with fine transverse aciculation, but shin-
ing ; fourth tergite polished. Piceous ; head, antenna (except apical
joint), propodeum and first tergite rufo-ferruginous ; basal part of
venter whitish ; legs piceous black, four anterior femora and tibiae
beneath and all coxae beneath sordid whitish ; tarsi brownish ; wings
hyaline, fore wing with the area from basal to end of stigma and
occupying width of wing infuscated ; venation dark brown*

Male. Length, 2-75 mm ; length of antenna, 3-75 mm. The male
agrees very well with the above description of the female but differs in
the much longer antenna which is 29-jointed.

Type-locality. Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam.

Described from seven (one type) females and one male received from
the Director of the Zoological Survey of India. All of these were collected
in February 1922 and seven were collected 450 feet from the entrance
of the cave. The other paratype was collected 200 feet from the en-
trance of the cave.

Type, allotype and two paraty-pes. Cat. No. 14366, U. S. Nat. Mug.

Four paratypes returned to the Director of the Zoological Survey of
India, Indian Museum.