Isognathotermes, Sjostedt, 1926

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 : 172-173

Unknown Isognathotermes from Malawi

Fig. 33 (as ‘ I. sp.’)

Diagnosis

The worker has a fungifaber EVA and is difficult to distinguish from other species.

The soldier’ morphology is similar to that of I. ugandensis malawii and I. minitabundus .

The imago is unknown.

However, this sample (DJ 0937) has a peculiar molecular signature, and as there is only one sample that has this genetic signature, it has therefore not yet been described.

Material examined

One sample.

MALAWI • soldier, worker; Nyika N.P.; 10°48.642′ S, 33°35.384′ E; 20 Jun. 2019; P. Stiblik leg.; study code: DJ 0937; GenBank no PV564649 (mitogenome); BE RMCA INS.Iso.059470 .

Historical review

This unknown species was collected by one of us (PK) in Malawi.

Molecular data

This unidentified sample from Malawi was placed as sister to all species of the clade V (containing similifinitimus + phallicaecalis + planifrons + phalloides + finitimus + minitabundus + ugandensis + severus ), and exhibited its highest similarity with I. minitabundus (96.5%).

Junior synonyms

Isognathotermes antennalis (Sjöstedt, 1924) Figs 67–68, distribution map: Fig. 49

Revised herein as junior synonym of I. ugandensis ugandensis .

Cubitermes antennalis Sjöstedt, 1924c: 493 .

Cubitermes antennalis – Sjöstedt 1926: 252–253. — Snyder 1949: 156.

Mirotermes ( Cubitermes) antennalis – Emerson 1928: 513–515, fig. 57.

Cubitermes ugandensis – Williams 1966: 107–108. — Krishna et al. 2013: 1943. — Josens & Deligne 2019: 62 .

Isognathotermes ugandensis – Hellemans et al. 2021: 233.

Etymology

The name antennalis probably refers to the 14-segmented antennae of the soldier (instead of 15 in other species), underlined by Sjöstedt (1924c: 493) in the original description.

Historical review

The soldier of Cubitermes antennalis was briefly described by Sjöstedt (1924c: 493), mentioning that it is close to C ubitermes severus Silvestri, 1914 , but with antennae of 14 articles. Two years later he provided more detailed descriptions of all castes ( Sjöstedt 1926: 252–253), he included C. antennalis in imagines’ and soldiers’ keys of Cubitermes species and inserted it in a “ bulbifrons -Gruppe” of species with an upwards humped frons ( Sjöstedt 1926: 218–226).

Emerson (1928: 513–515) referred to this species under the name Mirotermes ( Cubitermes) antennalis and provided further descriptions of all castes on material collected by Lang-Chapin in the Garamba National Park (Haut-Uele province, DRC) but mentioned “antennae with 14 or 15 segments”.

Snyder (1949: 156) catalogued Cubitermes antennalis in the sub-family Termitinae .

Williams (1966: 107–108) considered that Cubitermes antennalis Sjöstedt, 1924 was a synonym of Cubitermes ugandensis Fuller, 1923 , since the syntype soldiers of the former fell well within the range of variation shown by the very large amount of material of the latter.

Krishna et al. (2013: 1943) housed Cubitermes antennalis in the sub-family Cubitermitinae , as a junior synonym of C. ugandensis . Josens & Deligne (2019: 62) placed this species within the fungifaber valve pattern group and echoed the opinion of Williams, considering C. antennalis as a junior synonym of C. ugandensis . Hellemans et al. (2021: 233) placed this species in the restored genus Isognathotermes .

In this study, we relate I. antennalis to the subspecies I. u. ugandensis .

Two syntype subsamples have been examined (see I. ugandensis, DJ 0013 and DJ 0031). Krishna et al. (2013: 1943) mention that another subsample is deposited in NHRM (not examined).