taxonID	type	description	language	source
C973AD1ACC165C98B16CF1840E396187.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Among Cryptotermes soldiers worldwide, C. mobydicki is unique for the following characters: the head capsule is very long and narrow; the frontal flange and the frontal horns are absent; and, in dorsal view, the mandibles are greatly eclipsed by the extended frontal process (Fig. 1). In the Bacchus (1987) key to Cryptotermes soldiers worldwide (at the time), the second couplet is amended as follows: In the key to South American Cryptotermes soldiers (Scheffrahn and Vasconcellos 2023), the first couplet is amended as follows:	en	Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., Buček, Aleš, Sillam-Dussès, David, Šobotník, Jan (2025): Cryptotermes mobydicki (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae), an extraordinary new termite species from French Guiana. ZooKeys 1258: 305-311, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1258.166021
C973AD1ACC165C98B16CF1840E396187.taxon	description	Description. Imago unknown. Soldier (Fig. 1 A – D). Head capsule, in dorsal view, black; elongate, narrowing to a blunt frontal process; a few setae along lateral margins. Frontal process and vertex embellished with wavy longitudinal rugosity. Occiput chestnut-brown, without rugosity. Pronotum yellowish orange; anterior margin darker, curving upward, weakly serrated; posterior and lateral margins evenly rounded with a few setae of variable lengths (Fig. 1 A). In lateral view, frontal process curving slightly downward; eclipsing the mandible by about 1.4 × the length of entire head capsule. Frontal flange (cephalic ridge) absent. Genal horns with weak curvature below antennal sockets; frontal horns absent (Fig. 1 B). In oblique view, mandibles horn-like, curving inwards. Frontal process with shallow incision (Fig. 1 C), best seen in ventral aspect (Fig. 1 D). Antennae with 11 articles; article formula 2> 3 = 4 <5. Measurements in Table 1.	en	Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., Buček, Aleš, Sillam-Dussès, David, Šobotník, Jan (2025): Cryptotermes mobydicki (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae), an extraordinary new termite species from French Guiana. ZooKeys 1258: 305-311, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1258.166021
C973AD1ACC165C98B16CF1840E396187.taxon	etymology	Etymology. Named after Moby Dick from Herman Melville’s classic novel. The lateral view of the soldier frontal process and elongate head (Fig. 1 B) resembles the head of a sperm whale. Both organisms have mandibles eclipsed by the head, and the whale eye and soldier’s antennal socket are comparatively positioned.	en	Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., Buček, Aleš, Sillam-Dussès, David, Šobotník, Jan (2025): Cryptotermes mobydicki (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae), an extraordinary new termite species from French Guiana. ZooKeys 1258: 305-311, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1258.166021
