Glyptotermes FROGGATT

Engel, Michael S. & Krishna, K., 2007, Drywood termites in Dominican amber (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (2), pp. 263-275 : 265

Genus Glyptotermes FROGGATT

The genus GlyptotermesGlyptotermes is a relatively common group of principally tropical drywood termites. With 22 described species from the neotropics (130 total for the world), Glyptotermes is one of the more diverse lineages of Kalotermitidae in the New World. Like all kalotermitids, species of Glyptotermes live and breed in the dry wood of dead trees and, as a result, some species can be pestiferous.

To date a single fossil species of Glyptotermes has been described, Termes pusillus (transferred to Glyptotermes by ROSEN, 1913) by HEERHEER (1849) from what he believed to be Tertiary amber but which was actually African copal of Pleistocene origin. The genus has also been recorded but never formally described from Early Miocene amber of the Dominican Republic (SCHEFFRAHN et al .., 2003). The Dominican amber fauna of GlyptotermesGlyptotermes includes two species and mirrors the modern West Indian fauna. Today Glyptotermes liberatusliberatus (SNYDER)) and G. pubescens SNYDERSNYDER can be found sympatrically in the West Indies and differ (as imagoes) in basically the same features that separate the two fossil species. Glyptotermes liberatus is a larger species, with dark integument, pigmented nodulations on the wings, and noticeably granulose integumental sculpturing on the head capsule. In contrast, G. pubescens is a smaller species, with reddish brown integument, hyaline wings, and a smooth head. This same pattern of differences can similarly serve to differentiate the fossil species, although the larger fossil species differs from the modern G. liberatusliberatus in that, aside from the wing nodule apices, the wing membrane is hyaline while in the living species the wings are semi-opaque and distinctly infuscate. The fossil analog of G. pubescenspubescens is also a lighter species, with a light brown integument, hyaline wings inclusive of the nodulations, and a less strongly sculptured head capsule. However, the smaller and lighter fossil does not have the glabrous head integument of G. pubescens , instead exhibiting a faint imbrication throughout its surface.