Isognathotermes gibbifrons (Sjöstedt, 1924)

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 : 177-178

Isognathotermes gibbifrons (Sjöstedt, 1924)

Figs 35 –37

Revised herein as junior synonym of I. bulbifrons .

Cubitermes gibbifrons Sjöstedt, 1924b: 255 .

Cubitermes gibbifrons – Sjöstedt 1926: 249–250. — Snyder 1949: 160. — Ruelle 1992: 500. —

Bouillon & Vincke 1971: 269. — Krishna et al. 2013: 1923. — Josens & Deligne 2019: 60. Isognathotermes gibbifrons – Hellemans et al. 2021: 233.

Junior synonym of Isognathotermes bulbifrons (Sjöstedt, 1924) . Syn. nov.

Etymology

The epithet gibbifrons from the Latin gibber (humped) and frons (forehead) refers to the upwards humped frons of the soldier.

Historical review

Sjöstedt (1924b: 255) briefly described the soldier of this species under the name Cubitermes gibbifrons , mentioning that its soldier is close to the soldier of C. heghi but smaller.

Two years later Sjöstedt (1926: 249–250) provided a first description of the alate imago and worker together with additional information on soldier. He included (1926: 218–225) Cubitermes gibbifrons in the imagines’ and soldiers’ keys of Cubitermes species and inserted it in a “ bulbifrons -Gruppe” of species with an upwards humped soldier’s frons.

Snyder (1949: 160) catalogued this species under the name Cubitermes gibbifrons in the sub-family Termitinae and reported its known geographical distribution.

Bouillon & Vincke (1971: 269) described the enteric valve of C. gibbifrons as belonging to the first of three types, the “simple type ” without any spatula.

This is one of the species that Ruelle (1992: 500) called “forgotten species”. Krishna et al. (2013: 1923) housed Cubitermes gibbifrons in the sub-family Cubitermitinae .

Josens & Deligne (2019: 42–44) placed this species within the finitimus valve pattern group.

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

However, sequencing of the mitogenomes, despite the difference in size, confirmed synonymy with I. bulbifrons , a synonymy that had been suspected by the fact that samples of I. bulbifrons and I. gibbifrons had been collected in the same locations.