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THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.~ d from above; legs entirely
conceaJedfrom above; ,two basal joints of tarsismall, third
elongate.,To -examine all parts earefully wouldneed very careful
disseetion, and as thehead of the largest s i > " c ~ e s before
me isless than one two-hundredth part of aninoh in length, I have
been unable to. properly dissect it; th e antennae mayreally be
elevenjointed; but if so, thejoint I am unable to see must be
concealed by the overlapping portion of the head.The genus,
however, is so remark!l!bly dist inct by the characiers, which are
readily observed under the micros'oope without dissection, that no
confusion islikely to arise from this cause. I am unable to eount
the segments of the abd{)men. The outer margins (seen whenthe lower
surface is examined) appearto be formed of a thin, continuous
fiap,
/I-Outline of Rodwayia Minuta.R. Ovata. 3 -0 f R.
Occidentalis.
of which that por.tion formed by the prothorax is the deepest,
and tha;t ' bythe'head is the finest. The prolongationbackwards of
the hind angles of the prothfrrax IS much more apparent from
theunder than the upper surface. The iniercoxRI process of the
mesosternum iswide, Rnd more parallel,sided than in thefigure 0
given of Limulodes; the middlecoxae are ':wliso :'Wide;!", lal'ger,
and mOil"ed'isltant. Both 'the iprooess and !Coxaehfrwever, RTe
entirely conceRled by theoverlapping prosternal process.
*I n Matthew's main figure on plate 16,the scutellum appears as
being absent,but on plate 23, fig. 13, a distinct seutellum is
shown, and in the generic description ,i,t ~ said it,o !be
''brevi.sJsitrrmm,la issimum, tnanguIRre."
2-Intercoxal Process of Prosternum of4 -0 f R. Orienblis. 5 -0 f
R. Minuta.
~ o d w a y i a Ovata, n. Ip.Pale red'd1sh ICa:staneous,
B.rppen'tfugSand ti p of abdomen paler, clasely coveredwith shart
sericeous pubescence.Head abaut twice as wide as long.Prothorax
very large, almost half totaJlength, rather strongly convex,
sidesfeebly rounded, e'xcept towards ,the apex,where they are
strongly rounded; lengthof sides almost equal to greatest
width.Elytra at the bas'e narrower than, andclasped by bRse of, pro
horax, sides
( 15 )
gently deereasing in width from base tonear apex, apices widely
and separatelyrounded. Intercoxal process of prosternum slightly
produced 'on to metasternum and entirely eoncealing middle
ofmesosternum; apices widely rounded.apex .of abdomen notched.
Femora wide;length # 1mIn.H a , b . ~ T a s m a n i a : Ho,bart; in
nests ofa faIrly large black stingless ant 'und'erstones (over 40
specimens were taken
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THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.-from one nes't). 'fhe outline is
almos,tperfectly oval. In this and all the otherspecies the derm is
,g,hining, but some-what obscured by th e p u b e s c e n ~ e ,
andthis bejng par'tiall.y absent from the in-,tercoxal process of
the prosternum thatportion appears to be highly polished.'All th e
species are remarkably s,imilar ingenpral appearance, differing,
eX'cept asto ,the apices of ,the prosternal p r o ~ e s ' s ,in
little more ,than size, slightly incolour, and in one species in
colour ofpubescence. The sculpture of the prothorax and elytra is
so o;bscured by ,theclo,thing that 'i t cannot be
satisfactorily
seen, but it appears in all. thes'pecies to-consist .of dense
punctures arrangedtransversely or a t right angles ,to
thedisposition of the clothing. In fact, fromsome directions :there
appear to benumerous 'fine ridges, be'hind which areplaced the
'punctures, the ridges be'ingmore or less parallel with eacn other,
orslightly undulating . The back of thehead also, when removed
'from the prothorax, appears to be similarly sculp-tured. The under
surface in all thespecies appears to have fine, but moreor less
concealed, punctures;
:R.odwayia C}eeidentalis, n. Sp.Reddish castaneous; prothorax
(especi:ally at base) some,what dar,,;:er thanel.}"tra; abdomen and
appendages palertllan elytra. Closely covered with shortsericeous
pubescence.Head scarcely twice as wide as long.Prothorax (in
proportion) slightly larger,and with more strongly rounde.d
sidesthan in ovata; the elytra with sidesrather more rapidly
dimIni!;lhing in widthtoa:pex, and hind ape'x of intercoxal process
of prosternum more dee1ply incised.
Acbdomen apparently composed of six
segments, its apex widely and obtuselynutched. [Femora wide and
compressed,.dik.tt',d 'in the miulUe Ipogteriorly; ,ti;bia-erather
thm, apparently p a r a l l e l - , s i d e d ~Lerugt'h, mm.H a b .
~ W . Austra'lia: Swan River; in
n e s t ~ of a fairly large s;tingless ",sugar"alJJt under
s,tones.Alt'hongh :the colour is not very dark,.i t is darker than
that of any otherspecies here described, and the' prothorax.often
appears to be faintly infuscated in
the middle.
:R.odwayia C}rientalis, n. Sp.Pale reddish castaneous,
appendagesstill paler, Closely ,covered with ,short.sericeoml
pubescence.Outlines much as in occidentalis.
~ o t c l t at hind apex ofproSlternal procesi>deeper ,than
in o'ccideutalis, and muchdeeper tha.1l in ovata. Abdomen
obtuselynokhed at apex. Femora wide and comIpressed. iLe'ngth,
mm.
H n . b . - ~ . S . 'Vales: Sydney; Tasmania:Launceston. In
nests of the same smallant that harbours the following
s,pecies;
in th e nests of a very minute red ant,.anU. int:hose of a
ratner small "greenhead" stinging ant; all undtr stonesIn one
specimen th e maxillary palpiare not concea1ed, and in shape
appearlike the 'figure E, given of Limulodes.But this specimen h
broken, and inothers thepa1pi are apparently invis;ible.Un the
elytm, es:pecially to,wards thebase, there usually 'appears, in
;!;lomelights, a bluish or greenish opales,cence;lmt this may be
due to the clothing.
:J{odwayia:Minuta, n. Sp.Very pale reddish casitaneous;
appendages paler. CloselY covered withs,hor,t.
w.d
