Isognathotermes loubetsiensis (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 : 180

Isognathotermes loubetsiensis (Sjöstedt, 1924)

Fig. 58

Revised herein as junior synonym of I. planifrons .

Cubitermes loubetsiensis Sjöstedt, 1924c: 493 .

Cubitermes loubetsiensis – Sjöstedt 1926: 246–247. — Snyder 1949: 161. — Krishna et al. 2013: 1926. Mirotermes ( Cubitermes) loubetsiensis – Emerson 1928: 515–516, text-fig. 58, pl. XXX.

Cubitermes finitimus – Josens & Deligne 2019: 60 .

Isognathotermes finitimus – Hellemans et al. 2021: 233.

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

Etymology

The epithet loubetsiensis (from Loubetsi and Latin suffix -ensis, from) refers to the type locality (Loubetsi, Republic of Congo).

Historical review

Sjöstedt (1924c: 493) briefly described the soldier of this species under the name Cubitermes loubetsiensis , mentioning that it is close to the soldier of C. subarquatus .

Two years later, he provided a first description and some measurements of imago and worker ( Sjöstedt 1926: 246–247). He included (1926: 218–226) this species in imagines’ and soldiers’ keys of Cubitermes species and inserted it in a “ fungifaber -Gruppe” of species with a not humped soldier’s frons.

Emerson (1928: 515–516) re-described the species under the name Mirotermes ( Cubitermes) loubetsiensis based on specimens collected at Medje ( DRC, Haut-Uele Province). He provided a redescription of queen and soldier together with some measurements of worker. However, these specimens were misidentified ( Krishna et al. 2013: 1926); they are presently assigned to I. finitimus .

Snyder (1949: 161) catalogued this species under the name Cubitermes loubetsiensis and housed it in the sub-family Termitinae .

Krishna et al. (2013: 1926) housed Cubitermes loubetsiensis in the sub-family Cubitermitinae . They reported that Emerson (in his unpublished “card catalog”) considered C. loubetsiensis as a junior synonym of C. finitimus . Synonymy of the two species is compatible with their EVAs, as 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 .

Two type subsamples have been examined, both limited to the soldier caste (see Isognathotermes planifrons, DJ 0281 and DJ 0611). Only four samples in the museum collections bore the name “ C. loubetsiensis ”: the type samples and two misidentified samples (presently assigned to I. finitimus ). Our morphology study (this article) shows that the type matches well I. planifrons . Therefore, I. loubetsiensis (Sjöstedt, 1924) is from now on considered a junior synonym of Isognathotermes planifrons (Sjöstedt, 1924) .