Vaninitermes, Rocha & Cancello, 2022

Rocha, Mauricio M. & Cancello, Eliana M., 2022, Updated taxonomy of Syntermitinae (Blattodea: Isoptera, Termitidae), with the description of three new genera, Zootaxa 5138 (4), pp. 445-463 : 450-451

Vaninitermes , new genus

Type species. Armitermes brevinasus Emerson & Banks, 1957 .

Etymology. The name Vaninitermes is proposed in honor of the late Antonio Sérgio Vanin, our colleague, friend, and teacher, beloved by all. He was a renowned coleopterist (an expert on Curculionidae ). Dr. Vanin served as Director of MZUSP (2006–2009) and made important contributions to the development of Brazilian entomology, guiding several generations of entomologists, in every way.

Description

Imago. Known only from V. ignotus , described below.

Soldier ( Figs 5 , 10 ). Head sub-rectangular, with lateral and posterior margins of varying convexity, rounded posterolateral angles; moderate-sized conical nasus, projecting forward to tooth region of extended mandible from above or shorter, reaching the anteclypeus; in profile, nasus projecting upward, with slightly convex dorsal surface, ventral surface almost straight; in profile, head thickest at base of nasus, and gradually decreasing to a rounded posterior region. Surface of head with few scattered bristles, nasus with few short bristles.

Worker. Head capsule rounded. Postclypeus short and inflated. Antennae with 13 or 14 articles. Mandibles ( Fig. 7g ), [ Constantino (1991) fig. 38, Constantino (1992) fig. 3] with large apical teeth, with concave anterior margins, molar regions without ridges; left mandible (LM): sinuous anterior margin of M1+2; right mandible (RM): first marginal larger than second marginal, their contiguous margins forming an obtuse angle or right angle. Anterior margin of pronotum rounded. Head covered by scattered bristles and hairs. Long bristles on pronotal margins and hairs on surface. Meso and metanotum with long bristles on posterior margin and some hairs on surface. Many hairs and short bristles backward orientated on tergites and sternites, the last with a row of long bristles forward orientated. Yellowish white head, antennae lighter.

Digestive tube. Crop asymmetrical. Cuticular armature of gizzard with 24 visible folds, six of these first-order, six second-order and 12 third-order; ratio between columnar and pulvillar belts approximately equal to one; ( Figs 6a , 11a ). Insertion of stomodeal valve in mesenteron slightly subapical ( Figs 7e , 12c ). Mesenteron tubular, with a marked constriction before P1 ( Fig. 7f ), mixed segment rounded ( Figs 7d , 12d ), connected to the mesenteron by short filiform portion. Four Malpighian tubules attached at mesenteron-proctodeum junction ( Fig. 7f ). First proctodeal segment (P1) at the left side of the body, enlarged and fusiform; distal end of P1 narrowed, forming short neck with P2 ( Figs 7c , 12b, 12c ), before attachment to P3. Enteric valve (P2) composed of three nearly equal ridges covered with thin curved spines ( Figs 6b , 11b ). Dorsal torsion well-developed. P3 joined to P4 by an isthmus is inserted subapically ( Figs 7a , 12a ). P4 with a well- developed U-turn.

Comparisons with other genera of Syntermitinae . Considering the diagnostic characters of the genera of Syntermitinae summarized above (vide supra comparison with Biratermes gen. n.), it is most critical to compare Vaninitermes with Embiratermes s.s.. The soldiers of Vaninitermes are smaller than Embiratermes s.s., the mandibular teeth are smaller and of different positions. The worker gut can be easily distinguished from Embiratermes s.s. by the mixed segment, E. festivellus has a simple mesenteric tongue that does not reach the dilated portion of P1( Fig. 4e ), while Vaninitermes has a rounded mesenteric tongue situated on the dilated portion ( Figs 7d , 12d ); P2 is positioned at abdominal midlength Embiratermes s.s. ( Fig. 4b , arrow), but is distal in Vaninitermes ( Figs 7c , 12b ), and the isthmus insertion is apical in Embiratermes s.s. ( Fig. 4a ), versus subapical in Vaninitermes ( Figs 7a , 12a ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Worker gut of Embiratermes festivellus. a, dorsal; b, left (arrow: P2 position); c, ventral; d, right view; e, detail of mixed segment.

FIGURE 5. Soldier of Vaninitermes brevinasus. a, head in dorsal view; b, in profile.

FIGURE 6. Worker gut of Vaninitermes brevinasus. a, gizzard; b, enteric valve.

FIGURE 7. Worker gut of Vaninitermes brevinasus. a, dorsal; b, left; c, ventral; d, right view; e, detail of the stomodeal valve insertion; f, detail of the mesenteron-P1 junction and Malpighian tubules; g, worker mandibles in dorsal view.

FIGURE 10. Soldier of Vaninitermes ignotus. a, head in dorsal view; b, in profile; E. parvirostris (paratype), c, head in dorsal view; d, in profile.

FIGURE 11. Worker gut of Vaninitermes ignotus. a, gizzard; b, enteric valve.

FIGURE 12. Worker gut of Vaninitermes ignotus. a, dorsal; b, left; c, ventral; d, right view.