Isognathotermes ugandensis malawii Josens & Deligne, 2025

Josens, Guy, Deligne, Jean, Harry, Myriam, Roy, Virginie, Akama, Pierre D., Coulibaly, Tenon, Dosso, Kanvaly, Goergen, Georg, Hasson, Michel, Kasangij, Patrick Kasangij A, Kifukieto, Carmel, Ru, Bruno Le, Loko, Laura Estelle Yêyinou, Ndiaye, Abdoulaye Baila, Roisin, Yves, Sion, Noémie, Šobotnik, Jan, Stiblik, Petr, Kuenda, Soki Kue Di, Traoré, Saran, Viage, Manuela, Wango, Solange Patricia, Kaymak, Esra, Bourguignon, Thomas & Hellemans, Simon, 2025, An integrative revision of the genus Isognathotermes (Termitidae: Cubitermitinae) with description of seven new species and four new subspecies, European Journal of Taxonomy 1024, pp. 1-197 : 160-161

Isognathotermes ugandensis malawii Josens & Deligne subsp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figs 65–66, 69

Diagnosis

Soldiers and workers do not allow this subspecies to be distinguished from the other three.

The imago is close to that of I. u. kenyae subsp. nov. (but their geographical distributions are disjunct); it is, on average, the second largest of the four subspecies, best seen in a PCA (“ugma”, Fig. 65); it is the subspecies with the greatest distance between the apical and the first marginal teeth (IMlAmD = 0.23–0.27 mm vs 0.20–0.25 mm for all three other subspecies, Table 17). It comes from a relatively high altitude ( 1460–1770 m, average = 1560 m), from Malawi and northern Zambia.

Etymology

The name malawii (from Malawi) refers to the country of the type locality.

Material examined

Eleven samples from eight locations; all old museum samples initially identified either as Cubitermes minitabundus (six samples) or C. ugandensis (five samples).

Holotype

MALAWI • soldier; Dowa-Lilongwe road; 13°39′ S, 33°51′ E; 13 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ 0699; initially C. minitabundus ; NHMUK 13671919 .

Paratypes

MALAWI • soldier, worker, ♀ (queen); same data as for holotype .

Other material examined

MALAWI • soldier, worker, ♀ (queen); Dedza; 14°22′ S, 34°19.5′ E; 4 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ 0688; initially C. minitabundus ; NHMUK 13671917 • soldier, worker; Dedza; 14°23.5′ S, 34°18.5′ E; 2 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ 0698; initially C. minitabundus ; NHMUK 13671918 • soldier, ♀ (queen); Dowa – Lilongwe road; 13°39′ S, 33°51′ E; 11 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ 0697; initially C. minitabundus ; NHMUK 13671916 • soldier; Mzimba – Kasungu road; 12°16′ S, 33°38′ E; 18 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ U073; initially C. ugandensis ; NHMUK 13672015 • soldier, worker; Nyika Plateau ; 10°54′ S, 33°26′ E; 29 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ 0670; initially C. ugandensis ; NHMUK 13672018 • soldier, worker; Nyika Plateau ; 10°45′ S, 33°57′ E; 30 Sep. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ 0671; initially C. ugandensis ; NHMUK 13672016 • soldier; Vipya Plateau, Ekwendeni ; 11°23′ S, 33°54′ E; 20 Oct. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ U072; initially C. ugandensis ; NHMUK 13672017 .

ZAMBIA • soldier; Tunduma ; 9°26′ S, 32°51′ E; 5 Aug. 1953; W.A. Sands and W. Wilkinson leg.; study code: DJ U080; initially C. ugandensis ; NHMUK 13672009 • soldier, worker; Kasama–Mbala road; 10°2′ S, 31°15′ E; 23 Dec.1969; M.G. Bingham leg.; study code: DJ 0690; initially C. minitabundus ; NHMUK 13671923 • soldier, worker; Mbala–Mpulungu road; 8°48′ S, 31°8′ E; 24 May 1970; J.R. Clover and Kistner leg.; study code: DJ 0689; initially C. minitabundus ; NHMUK 13671924 .

Description

Imago

See the description of the imago of Isognathotermes ugandensis ( Fuller, 1923) with the particularity that the imago of I. u. malawii subsp. nov. is the second largest of the four subspecies, best seen in a PCA (“ugma” in Fig. 65, Table 17). This is the subspecies with the greatest distance between the apical and the first marginal teeth (IMlAmD = 0.23–0.27 mm vs 0.20–0.25 mm for all three other subspecies, Table 17).

Soldier

See the description of the soldier of Isognathotermes ugandensis ( Fuller, 1923) .

Worker

See the description of the worker of Isognathotermes ugandensis ( Fuller, 1923) .

Chorology-ecology

Isognathotermes ugandensis malawii subsp. nov. was found between altitudes of 1460 and 1770 m (average = 1560 m), in the central Zambezian miombo woodlands in Malawi and northern Zambia.

Molecular data

No genetic sequence is currently available.