Neocapritermes utiariti Krishna & Araujo 1968

Azevedo, Renato A., Sobral, Rafael, Dambros, Cristian S. & De Morais, José W., 2017, Description of the imago of Neocapritermes utiariti (Isoptera: Termitidae: Termitinae), Zootaxa 4221 (4), pp. 494-496 : 494-496

Neocapritermes utiariti Krishna & Araujo 1968

Imago ( Figs. 1 A–G). Head capsule dark brown, strongly sclerotized with few long bristles mainly distributed in the middle, close to the eyes; weak wrinkles in the middle of the head, between the fontanelle and the clypeus; fontanelle conspicuous; ecdisial line dark and faint ( Fig. 1 A). Postclypeus small and slightly inflated, yellow or brown, almost trapezoidal, posterior margin large of postclypeus with two lateral dark-brown spots, anterior margin narrow and slightly concave; bristles absent ( Fig. 1 B). Labrum pale yellow with 13 – 16 long bristles. Ocelli small, semicircular and prominent. Eyes rounded and protruded. Antennal insertion pale yellow. Antennae with 17 articles; flagellum densely covered with hairs; scape and pedicel with few hairs; II> III> IV <V; III longer than IV, and V with the same length as III. Mandibles with apical teeth and M1 of similar size, M 3 in the right mandible not curved ( Fig. 1 C). Pronotum brown, wider than head, covered by bristles; bristles closer in the edges, and sparse in the middle and in the anterior margin; slight depressions in anterior corners of pronotum; anterior margin concave, lateral margins rounded converging towards the posterior margin; middle line weak. Meso- and metanotum with anterior portion light brown colored, and posterior portion dark-brown; anterior portion wider than posterior portion; posterior portion partially covered by wing scales, posterior margin emarginated with bristles in dorsal surface ( Fig. 1 D). Tergites dark brown, same color of pronotum, densely covered with bristles. Sternites light brown, with lateral margins slightly darker than the middle, margins covered with uniform bristles. Few bristles present in the middle portion of sternites. Wing scales almost as the same color as pronotum and with same pilosity. Wing veins thick in base and narrow toward apex (Figs, 1F – G). Legs yellowish-brown. Fore femur with long bristles mainly in the internal margin. Fore tibia densely covered with bristles, distributed uniformly in all its extension ( Fig. 1 E). Tibial spurs 3:2:2.

Measurements of 2 specimens (mm): width of head without eyes 1.66–1.83; length of head to lateral base of mandibles 1.81–1.97; length of postclypeus 0.34–0.38; width of postclypeus 0.83–0.93; maximum width of ocellus 0.23–0.24; maximum diameter of eye 0.49–0.51; width of pronotum 2.25–2.30; length of pronotum 1.23–1.31; length of hind tibia 3.33–3.45.

Soldier ( Figs. 2 A–B). Described by Krishna & Araujo 1968.

Measurements of one specimen (mm): length of head to lateral base of mandibles 6.04; maximum width of head 4.45; height of head excluding postmentum 2.87; maximum length of left mandible 5.29; maximum length of right mandible 4.29; maximum width of postmentum 1.15; minimum width of postmentum 0.76; maximum length of postmentum 3.62; median length of pronotum 1.08; maximum length of pronotum 1.25; maximum width of pronotum 2.83; length of hind tibia 3.20.

Material examined. BRAZIL, State of Rondônia, Porto Velho , Usina Hidrelétrica Santo Antônio , Vila Teotônio , 8°49'00''S, 64°05'20''W, 29.i.2013, R. A. Azevedo leg., soldiers and imagoes, one male and one female ( INPA).

Comparisons. The imago of N. utiariti differs from N. taracua and N. braziliensis by not having the head capsule covered with short bristles. The head capsule of N. angusticeps is light-brown whereas the head capsule of N. utiariti is dark-brown. Neocapritermes angusticeps also has smaller eyes than N. utiariti , and the anterior margin of pronotum is curved in the former. The tibial spurs of N. bodkini are 2:2:2, whereas the tibial spurs of N. utiariti are 3:2:2. Neocapritermes opacus has bristles in the postclypeus, and the superior margin of the eyes are not angled in N. opacus as in N. utiariti .

Biology. Individuals of N. utiariti described in this study were found in clayey soils under the ground.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Imago of Neocapritermes utiariti. A, head in dorsal view; B, head in profile; C, mandibles in dorsal view; D, thorax in dorsal view, showing the pro-, meso-, and metanotum; E, foretibia and forefemur; F, forewing; G, hindwing.

FIGURE 2. Soldier of Neocapritermes utiariti. A, head in dorsal view; B, head in profile.