Anhangatermes eurycephalus Oliveira & Constantino

Oliveira, Danilo E., Cunha, Hélida F. & Constantino, Reginaldo, 2014, A taxonomic revision of the soil-feeding termite genus Anhangatermes (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), Zootaxa 3869 (5), pp. 523-536 : 529-531

Anhangatermes eurycephalus Oliveira & Constantino , new species

Holotype: soldier, part of lot DZUB-2280, 04.ii.1987, collected by Og F. Souza. Type repository: Dept. of Zoology, University of Brasília.

Type-locality: BRAZIL. State of Amazonas. Manaus, Rodovia ZF-3, km 41, lat 2.445S long 59.7833W, elevation 130 m.

Paratypes: BRAZIL. State of Amazonas. All localities near Manaus. Rodovia BR-174, km 54, six soldiers, 20.v.2002, I. Ackerman (DZUB-3621). Reserva Ducke: 4 soldiers and 6 workers, 01.vii.1990, F.B. Apolinário (DZUB-3655); 5 soldiers, 01.xi.1990, F.B. Apolinário (DZUB-4471). Same colony as holotype: 23 soldiers, 36 workers (DZUB-2280, UFV-1485).

Etymology. From the Greek words “eury”, wide, and “kephale”, head, latinized as “cephalus”.

Imago. Unknown.

Soldier ( Figs. 5 B, 8A, 8B, 9B). Head capsule yellow-orange; nasus darker. Antennae and thoracic nota yellow. Legs yellowish. Tergites and sternites hyaline. Head capsule with 2 bristles on vertex and many microscopic hairs, more numerous on vertex and frons. Apical 1/10 of nasus densely covered with short inclined hairs, which become longer toward apex; 4 longer hairs at tip; clypeus without bristles. Pro-, meso- and metanotum without bristles or macroscopic hairs ( Fig. 5 B); with numerous microscopic hairs. Tergites with a row of 4 bristles on posterior margin; surface of tergites with numerous microscopic hairs. Sternites with a row of long bristles on posterior margin; surface with dense inclined hairs of variable length. Head capsule broad, slightly angular from dorsal view; sides converging posteriorly. Mandibles with sharp points ( Fig. 9 B). Nasus long, subcylindrical and slightly upturned. Pronotum with anterior margin convex, not emarginate. Relative length of antennal articles: 3>6>5>2=4. Measurements in Table 1.

Worker ( Figs. 1 B, 3B, 10B). Head capsule and postclypeus yellowish. Postclypeus strongly inflated. Epicranial suture and fontanelle spot inconspicuous and slightly depressed. Antennae with basal articles whitish, becoming light yellow towards apex. Thoracic nota, legs and abdomen whitish. Head capsule ( Fig. 10 B) with 6 bristles and many microscopic hairs; postclypeus with 4 bristles and many microscopic hairs. Pronotum with a row of about 6 bristles on anterior margin; posterior margin with or without a few bristles. Meso- and metanota with a row of bristles on posterior margin. Thoracic nota with numerous microscopic hairs on surface. Tergites with a irregular row of 12 or more bristles of variable size on posterior margin, and a second, similar row near middle; surface of tergites with sparse short hairs. Pilosity of sternites similar to that of soldier. Enteric valve armature short, with 3 major plates alternating with 3 minor plates ( Fig. 3 B, 3C); minor plates narrower and a little shorter. Length of major plates about 0.1 mm and of minor plates about 0.07 mm. All plates with conical spines orientated in direction of food movement; posterior end of each plate with a line of larger perpendicular spines; length of larger spines on major plates about 0.02 mm. Surface between plates without spines. Measurements in Table 2.

Comparisons. Soldiers of A. eurycephalus , sp. n. have a distinctly broad head capsule ( Fig. 8 A). Workers of A. eurycephalus , sp. n. are very similar to those of A. macarthuri ; the enteric valve armature is also similar. Workers of the other 3 species have many more bristles on the head capsule.

Habitat. All samples collected from primary rain forest.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Mandibles of Anhangatermes. A, worker of A. pilosus, sp. n. (narrow gap); B, worker of A. eurycephalus, sp. n. (wide gap); C, imago of A. pilosus, sp. n.

FIGURE 3. Enteric valve armature of Anhangatermes. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B – C: A. eurycephalus, sp. n. (C is a crosssection in posterior view); D, A. juruena, sp. n.; E, A. pilosus, sp. n.

FIGURE 5. Schematic drawings of soldiers of Anhangatermes in dorsal view, showing chaetotaxy of thoracic nota and tergites 1 and 2. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B: A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C, A. juruena, sp. n.; D, A. pilosus, sp. n. Microscopic hairs not shown.

FIGURE 8. Soldier heads of Anhangatermes, in dorsal view and in profile. A – B, A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C – D, A. macarthuri Constantino 1990 (paratype).

FIGURE 9. Soldier mandibles of Anhangatermes in dorsal view. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B: A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C, A. juruena, sp. n.; D, A. macarthuri Constantino 1990 (paratype); E, A. pilosus, sp. n.

FIGURE 10. Workers of Anhangatermes, head in dorsal view. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B, A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C, A. juruena, sp. n.; D, A. pilosus, sp. n.