Isognathotermes silvestrii ( Sjöstedt, 1925 )

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 : 182-183

Isognathotermes silvestrii ( Sjöstedt, 1925)

Figs 62–63

Revised herein as junior synonym of I. severus .

Cubitermes Silvestrii Sjöstedt, 1925: 54 .

Cubitermes silvestrii – Sjöstedt 1926: 251, table 10 a1–a2. — Snyder 1949: 164. — Ruelle 1992: 500. — Krishna et al. 2013: 1937. — Josens & Deligne 2019: 61 .

Isognathotermes silvestrii – Hellemans et al. 2021: 233.

Junior synonym of Isognathotermes severus ( Silvestri, 1914) . Syn. nov.

Etymology

The species was named in honour of F. Silvestri who collected the type material.

Historical review

Sjöstedt (1925: 54) briefly described the soldier of this species under the name Cubitermes Silvestrii. One year later Sjöstedt (1926: 251) provided more detailed descriptions together with figures of the soldier, specifying that they were based on specimens from Kakoulima ( Guinea) first identified as Cubitermes severus by Silvestri. He housed the species in the sub-family Termitinae , included it (1926: 218–226) in a soldier’s key of Cubitermes species and inserted it in a “ bulbifrons -Gruppe” of species with an upwards humped frons.

Snyder (1949: 164) catalogued Cubitermes silvestrii in the sub-family Termitinae .

This is one of the species that Ruelle (1992: 500) called “forgotten species”.

Krishna et al. (2013: 1937) housed C. silvestrii in the sub-family Cubitermitinae .

Josens & Deligne (2019: 39–42) placed this species within the fungifaber valve pattern group.

Hellemans et al. (2021: 233) placed this species in the restored genus Isognathotermes .

One type sample has been examined (see Isognathotermes severus, DJ 0302). Krishna et al. (2013: 1937) mention that another subsample is deposited in NHRM (not examined).

The type of Cubitermes silvestrii came from the same locality as one of the syntypes of Cubitermes severus and our morphology study shows that it matches well I. severus .

Therefore, Cubitermes silvestrii ( Sjöstedt, 1925) is from now on considered a junior synonym of Isognathotermes severus ( Silvestri, 1914) .