Ebogotermes raphaeli Scheffrahn & Roisin, 2021

Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., Roisin, Yves, Akama, Pierre Dieudonné & Šobotník, Jan, 2021, Ebogotermes raphaeli, new genus and new species, an African soldierless termite described from the worker caste (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae), Zootaxa 5067 (2), pp. 279-284 : 280-282

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5067.2.10
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D420B5B8-7BF4-4F77-A8F4-AE523210B0CD
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5698873
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E04A885F-6B56-FFBE-FF4E-953E1FE0F867
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Ebogotermes raphaeli Scheffrahn & Roisin
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Ebogotermes raphaeli Scheffrahn & Roisin sp. n.

Type Material. Holotype worker, Cameroon, Ebogo II, Jan Šobotník, University of Florida Termite Collection no. AFR3551 ( Scheffrahn 2019), with 12 other workers (paratypes). Primary forest near Ebogo II village, 24FEB2019 ( CZU no. Cam19-1_PG_75) . Paratype workers, J. Šobotník, primary forest near Ebogo II, (3.3820, 11.4632), elev. 677 m, UFTC no. AFR3617 (subsample of CAM20 View Materials _PG_002) GoogleMaps . Paratype workers, Y. Roisin and J. Romero Arias, primary forest near Ebogo II, (3.3825, 11.4632), elev. 685 m, 7JUN2017 ( ULB collection no. CMRT172 ), to be deposited in the Africa Museum (formerly Royal Museum of Central Africa, RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium GoogleMaps .

Type locality. Cameroon, Lekié , Ebogo, lat 3.3820, long 11.4632, elev. 677 m.

Diagnosis. The genus diagnosis will probably be consistent with any future new Ebogotermes species , however the EVA, the most diverse character in the Apicotermitinae , should reveal diagnostic differences.

Worker ( Figs. 1–4 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 ). Very large. In lateral view ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ), postclypeus moderately inflated; anterior lobe of pronotum tall, anterior rim covered with a field of small, uniform setae, posterior covered with about 35 setae of varying lengths. Posterior lobe of pronotum angled about 80° from anterior lob. In dorsal view ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ), head capsule covered with about 40 setae of varying lengths; fontanelle and large anterior frontal glands lighter than remainder of vertex. Mandibular dentition as in Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 . Fore tibia weakly inflated, about five time longer than wide. ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ); about eight spines along inner margin, and three terminal spines; outer spine smallest. Antennal articles 1-4 about equal in length, article 5 and beyond wider and slightly longer. Mesenteric tongue of mixed segment lies along the inner side of the midgut ring ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). First proctodeal segment (P1) tubular, at least 2.5X long as wide ( Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 ). Second proctodeal segment (P2) armature does not extend into the lumen of the P3; EVA ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ) consists of six cushions of similar shape that are either slightly larger or smaller than their neighbor. The anterior margin of each cushion is hemispherical while the posterior margin (pointing to the P3 lumen) is slightly sclerotized and forms a 90° pouch. The surface of each cushion is adorned with ca. 70-140 scales rounded and broad near base of cushion, then narrowing into a tiny spine distally ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Orientation of P2 to P3 180°; P2 seating spheriform, without lobes. Third proctodeal segment (P3) expanding posteriorly from P2 seating lobe into voluminous main chamber ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ) which bends to right and thins at P3/P4 isthmus at dorsal anterior. Fourth proctodeal segment (P4) long, narrow, and tubular, winding from isthmus around the anterior P3 for 180°, then bending posteriorly under P3, and finally bending 180° around the middle of P3 from ventral side to terminate at P 5 in dorsum. Measurements in Table 1 View TABLE 1 .