Glyptotermes grimaldii, Engel & Krishna, 2007

Engel, Michael S. & Krishna, K., 2007, Drywood termites in Dominican amber (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (2), pp. 263-275 : 267-269

Glyptotermes grimaldii , sp. n. ( Fig. 5 )

Diagnosis:

This species can be differentiated from G. paleoliberatus (vide supra) by its smaller size; light brown integument; faintly imbricate sculpturing on the head capsule; second, third, and fourth antennal articles being subequal in length (the second antennal article is distinctly longer than the individual lengths of the third and fourth articles in modern species and in G. paleoliberatus )); and completely hyaline nodule apices. In most of these features the fossil resembles modern G. pubescenspubescens but that species has a distinctly glabrous integument and the typical proportions of the basal antennal articles.

Description:

Imago. Head and pronotum light brown, integument faintly imbricate; antennae and legs light yellowish brown. Head and pronotum with widely scattered, fine, short setae; costal margin of wing scale without setae, surface of scale with a few fine, short setae. Lateral margins of head subparallel, posterior margin evenly rounded; Y-shaped coronal ecdysial cleavage line faint; compound eye rounded, small, in lateral aspect separated from posterior border of head by distance greater than compound eye length; ocellus touching compound eye; anteclypeus subtrapezoidal, apical margin straight; postclypeus not demarcated; antenna with 12+ articles (perhaps incomplete); first article slightly longer than second article; second, third, and fourth antennal articles subequal in length. Pronotum slightly narrower than head; anterior margin concave; lateral margins gently and evenly curved, subparallel; posterolateral corners broadly rounded, posterior margin evenly rounded. Tibial spur formula 3-3-3; arolium present. Forewing membrane hyaline, with numerous nodulations, nodules not pigmented.

Holotype:

Imago ( Fig. 5 ), DR-10-1505, Early Miocene (Burdigalian) amber, Dominican Republic (specific mine unknown). Deposited in the Amber Fossil Collection, Division of Invertebrate Zoology , American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Etymology:

The specific epithet is a patronymic honoring Dr. David A. Grimaldi, close friend and colleague, and leading expert on insect systematics, evolution, and paleontology, as well as the world’s authority on amber and its inclusions.

Figures

Figs 4- 5: Photomicrographs of holotype imagoes for Dominican amber Glyptotermes. – 4 Glyptotermes paleoliberatuspaleoliberatus sp. n. (DR-14-647). – 5 Glyptotermes grimaldiigrimaldii sp. n. (DR-10-1505).