Neotermes costaseca, Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., 2018

Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., 2018, Neotermescostaseca: a new termite from the coastal desert of Peru and the redescription of N. chilensis (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae), ZooKeys 811, pp. 81-90 : 82-85

Neotermes costaseca sp. n. Figures 1 A–C, 2, 3 A–D, 4; Tables 1, 2

Diagnosis.

The imago of N. costaseca has larger eyes and ocelli than N. chilensis and the former possesses arolia. The soldier mandible of N. chilensis has much more pronounced basal humps than N. costaseca and the former has more protruding genal horns.

Description.

Imago (Figs 1 A–C, 2; Table 1). Head capsule and pronotum orange-brown. Compound eye nearly circular; ocellus yellowish orange, large, and roundly ellipsoid; nearly touching eye margin. Head vertex and frons slightly depressed, without rugosity; covered with dozens of long (0.25 mm), variously directed setae. Pronotum wider than head capsule; anterior margin evenly concave; anterior margin very weakly emarginate. Pronotum covered with shorter and many long (0.3 mm) setae, especially along lateral margins. Antennae with 17-22 articles, basal article relative lengths 1>2=3>4. Anterior margin of fore wing scale convex; margin lined with 12-15 setae. Fore wing with subcosta joining costal margin at ca. one-fifth of wing length from suture. Radius joining costal margin at two-fifths wing length; radial sector with ca. seven anterior branches. Median vein sclerotised and running very close to and parallel radial sector. Arolium present.

Soldier (Fig. 3 A–D, Table 2). Head capsule in dorsal and lateral aspect orange-brown; ventrally yellowish orange; pronotum yellowish orange. Eye spot yellow; small, narrow ellipsoid. Head and pronotum covered with shorter and moderately long (0.15-0.25 mm) setae; seta denser and longer on frontal lobes. Head capsule with lateral margins nearly parallel, slightly converging at anterior; genal horns not protruding in ventral view. Frons roundly sloping 45° from vertex; depressed and slightly rugose from width of postclypeus to anterior vertex. Y-suture distinct, narrow. Pronotum width 2.5 × length, posterior margin slightly concave, posterolateral corners rounded 90°. Antennae with 14-16 articles, basal article relative lengths 1>2<3>4. Mandibles with shallow basal hump more than 4/5th length from apical points. Mandibles evenly curved ca. 80° along apical third.

Holotype: Perú: Lurin, Rio Lurin, (-12.275, -76.879), 23OCT2007, J Křeček (JK); labelled soldier (University of Florida Termite collection no. PE131).

Material examined.

Perú: Lurin, Rio Lurin (-12.275, -76.879), 23OCT2007, J. Křeček (JK); winged imagos, soldiers, pseudergates (UF no. PE131). Perú: Lima, Rio Chillon (-11.979, -77.090), 20OCT2007, JK; winged imagos (UF no. PE107). Perú: Lima, Rio Lurin, Quebrada Verde bridge (-12.237, -76.856), 23OCT2007, JK, Gerardo; winged imagos (UF no. PE117). Perú: Lima, Rio Lurin, Quebrada Verde bridge (-12.237, -76.856), 23OCT2007, JK, Gerardo; winged imagos (UF no. PE119). Perú: Lima, Huaral (-12.275, -76.879), 23OCT2007, JK, Gerardo; winged imagos (UF no. PE131). Perú: Lima, Rio Lurin (-11.521, -77.239), 25OCT2007, JK, C. Torres; winged imagos (UF no. PE145). Perú: Lima, Chacra y Mar (-11.60804, -77.23939), 25OCT2007, T. Carrijo R. Constantino, J. Chase, J. Křeček, E. Kuswanto, J. Mangold, A. Mullins, T. Nishimura, R. Scheffrahn (CCCKKMMNS); winged imagos (UF no. PU1012). Perú: Ancash, Huaylas (-8.872, -77.894), 9MAY2014, CCCKKMMNS; soldiers (UF no. PU1019). Perú: Parque Nat. Lachay (-11.363, -77.371), 9MAY2014, CCCKKMMNS; soldiers (UF no. PU1007). Perú: Lima, Chacra y Mar (-11.608, -77.239), 3JUN14, CCCKKMMNS; soldiers (UF no. PU1011). Perú: Lima, Huaral, Pueblo Libre, Rio Chancay bridge (-11.514, -77.230), 23OCT2007, JK, C. Torres; soldiers (UF no. PE135). Perú: Lima, Rio Lurin, Quebrada Verde bridge (-12.237, -76.856), 23OCT2007, JK, Gerardo Torres; soldiers (UF no. PE120). Perú: Lima, Pachacamac (-12.243, -76.864), 23OCT2007, JK, Gerardo; soldiers (UF no. PE126). Neotermes fulvescens , Paraguay: Dry Chaco Mariscal Estigarribia (-22.078, -60.552), 1JUN2012, J. Chase; soldiers and queen (UF no. PA742).

Etymology.

From Spanish, meaning "dry coast" and describing the species’ habitat; to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Comparisons.

Although climatically isolated, some character overlap is possible with other neotropical Neotermes . A revision of Neotropical Neotermes is needed to identify diagnostic characters. The imago of N. costaseca has longer head and pronotal setae and larger eyes and ocelli than N. chilensis . Neotermes costaseca has an arolium which is lacking in N. chilensis . The soldier mandible of N. chilensis has much more pronounced basal humps, more sinuate marginal teeth, and more sharply curved apical teeth than N. costaseca . The anterolateral corners of N. chilensis constrict more than those of N. costaseca and, unlike N. costaseca , the genal horns of N. chilensis protrude. The pronotum of the N. chilensis soldier is crescent-shaped with that of N. costaseca resembles a bow tie. The soldier eye spot of N. costaseca is hyaline while that of N. chilensis is almost always pigmented. The soldier of N. castaneus differs from both N. costaseca and N. chilensis in having shorter, thicker mandibles with larger, more rounded basal humps.

The arid-adapted N. costaseca and N. chilensis are most comparable with non-Amazonian congenerics from Argentina ( Torales et al. 2008), Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil ( Krishna et al. 2013). Compared to N. chilensis , the soldiers of N. hirtellus (Silvestri), N. fulvescens (Silvestri), and N. modestus (Silvestri) all have more reduced madibular basal humps ( Silvestri 1903). Compared to N. costaseca and N. chilensis , the N. hirtellus soldier has a shorter third antennal article relative to the second, the head converging toward the front, and the ocellus separated from eye ( Costa Lima 1941). The imago and soldier of N. fulvescens are smaller, the imago lacks an arolium, and the solder mandibles are shorter and thicker than both N. chilensis and N. costaseca . The N. modestus soldier and imago are smaller than both N. chilensis and N. costaseca ( Silvestri 1903). Compared to N. chilensis and N. costaseca , the imago wings of N. arthurimuelleri (Rosen) are more darkly pigmented, shorter (12 mm long), and the ocelli are more separated from the eye ( Costa Lima 1942).

The N. glabriusculus Oliveira imago has smaller ocelli than both N. costaseca and N. chilensis and are more removed from the eye while the soldier dentition in the former is less robust and the tips are not as curved and have almost no basal humps ( Oliveira 1979). The N. magnoculus (Snyder) imago is smaller ( Snyder 1926) than N. chilesnsis and N. costaseca . The N. wagneri (Desneux) soldier has proportionally shorter mandibles and no enlargement of the third antennal article compared with N. chilesnsis and N. costaseca ( Costa Lima 1941, 1942). Finally, the N. zanclus Oliveira soldier has a more elongated and sub rectangular head capsule ( Oliveira 1979).

Biology.

Neotermes costaseca colonies were collected from both dead branches attached to live trees and directly from sapwood within live trees (Fig. 4). Alates were present in October, but were not collected in June suggesting the latter as part of the likely flight season. The greater tergite separation and mottling in the queen depicted in Fig. 4A suggest that this queen is older than the queen in Fig. 4C