Bandeiratermes, 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 : 456-458

Bandeiratermes , new genus

Type species. Armitermes silvestrii Emerson , in Snyder, 1949.

Etymology. The name Bandeiratermes is proposed in honor of our late colleague and friend Adelmar Gomes Bandeira, a Brazilian termitologist, one of the first to study the Amazonian termites, and an excellent collector who initiated and contributed significantly to termite collections in Manaus, AM (INPA); Belém, PA (Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi); and later in João Pessoa, PB (Universidade Federal da Paraíba).

Description

Imago. Unknown.

Soldier. Head elongate, rectangular or sub-rectangular, narrowing slightly towards front with lateral and posterior margins slightly convex and posterolateral angles broadly rounded as in Bandeiratermes silvestrii ( Fig. 13a ) or with sides parallel from dorsal view ( Bandeiratermes tellustris , Fig. 16a ); head thickest at base of conical nasus, which extends forward almost as far as the extended mandibles; in profile dorsal surface of nasus convex near the base, somewhat humped, and somewhat upwards. Mandibles robust, curved inward, without teeth (in Ban. tellustris , Fig. 16a ) or with small tooth on medial surface about one-third of distance from base to tip, tip of tooth rounded (in Ban. silvestrii , Fig. 13a ); antenna with 14 articles; anterior margin of lobe of pronotum strongly convex ( Ban. silvestrii ) or less so, median notch present or absent, posterior portion with broadly rounded, non-emarginated hind margin. Head sparsely covered with hairs of moderate length, nasus devoid of hairs on top and sides or with a few short hairs on dorsal surface.

Worker. Head capsule rounded. Postclypeus moderately inflated or more inflated. Antenna with 14 articles. Mandibles ( Fig. 15f ), [ Constantino (1990) figs 9–10)] with apical tooth (A) larger than marginal, acute angle or right between A and second marginal; LM: M1+2 with first very conspicuous or not as so. RM: second marginal tooth smaller than first, angle between them slightly more opened than a right angle. Molar regions without ridges. Head covered by scattered short to medium sized bristles and some very short hairs, which also occur as on postclypeus, along with a few bristles. Pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum with long bristles on margins and shorter bristles and hairs on surface. Head and pronotum pale yellow and legs 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; columns covered with pectinate scale ( Fig. 14a ). Insertion of stomodeal valve apically into mesenteron. Mesenteron tubular, with a short mixed segment extending a little over the dilated portion of P1 ( Figs 15d, 15e , 17d, 17e, 17f ). Two pairs of Malpighian tubules attached at mesenteron-proctodeum junction ( Fig. 15e ). P1 diagonal to body axis, enlarged and fusiform ( Figs 15c , 17c ); distal end of P1 narrowed, forming short neck with P2 ( Figs 15b , 17c ), before attachment to P3 on left side of body. Enteric valve (P2) composed of three nearly equal conical ridges, covered with curved spines ( Fig. 14b ), [ Constantino (1990) fig. 12)]. Dorsal torsion well developed. Third proctodeal segment joined P4 by an isthmus is inserted subapically ( Figs 15a , 17a ).

Comparisons with other genera of Syntermitinae . Considering the diagnostic characters of the genera of Syntermitinae summarized above (vide supra comparison with Biratermes ), it is most critical to compare Bandeiratermes gen. n. with Embiratermes s.s. and Ibitermes s.s. The soldiers of Embiratermes s.s. have piercing mandibles with marginal teeth at the proximal third of the mandible length, in Bandeiratermes gen. n. the mandibles are blunter and the marginal teeth are reduced, located at the base of the mandibles ( Ban. silvestrii , Fig. 13a ) or absent ( Ban. tellustris , Fig. 16a ). The soldiers of Ibitermes s.s. have a markedly inflated postclypeus (absent in the new genus). The worker gut is well distinct from Embiratermes s.s. by the position and shape of the enteric valve segment, short and broad, at the middle of the abdomen length in Embiratermes s.s. ( Fig. 4b , arrow), and with a long neck and at the end of the abdomen length in Bandeiratermes , ( Figs 15b , 17b ). The worker gut of Ibitermes s.s. have a long and twisted mesenteric tongue (short and rounded in Bandeiratermes gen. n.), and the enteric valve segment is dorsally oriented (ventrally oriented in Bandeiratermes gen. n.). Acangaobitermes , Bandeiratermes gen. n., Noirotitermes , and Vaninitermes gen. n. share the apomorphic condition of the isthmus inserted sub-apically ( Rocha et al. 2017).

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 13. Soldier of Bandeiratermes silvestrii. a, head in dorsal view; b, in profile.

FIGURE 14. Worker gut of Bandeiratermes silvestrii. a, gizzard; b, enteric valve.

FIGURE 15. Worker gut of Bandeiratermes silvestrii. a, dorsal; b, left; c, ventral; d, right view; e, detail of the mesenteron-P1 junction and Malpighian tubules; f, worker mandibles in dorsal view.

FIGURE 16. Soldier of Bandeiratermes tellustris (Ibitermes tellustris paratype). a, head in dorsal view; b, in profile.

FIGURE 17. Worker gut of Bandeiratermes tellustris. a, dorsal; b, left; c, ventral; d, right view; e and f, mixed segment in detail.