Velocitermes Holmgren, 1912

Krishna, Kumar & Grimaldi, David, 2009, Diverse Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae (Isoptera) in Dominican Amber, American Museum Novitates 2009 (3640), pp. 1-48 : 40-41

Genus Velocitermes Holmgren, 1912

The tropical genus Velocitermes consists of 10 species, all from the Neotropical Region, none of which are reported from the West Indies. Velocitermes species live in savannah and forested areas, feeding on leaf litter (Matthews, 1977). This new species, based on the soldier caste, is the first report of the genus Velocitermes from the West Indies (Hispaniola) and the first report of this genus in the fossil record.

Velocitermes bulbus , new species

Figures 28 , 30 ; table 11

DIAGNOSIS: Velocitermes bulbus , differs from all living species of Velocitermes in having a less constricted head and a more prominent posterior lobe of the head.

DESCRIPTION: Soldier: Head brown; antennae brown; abdomen blackish. Head capsule with four or five long setae and four or five short setae at tip of nasus; tergites with very short setae. Head in dorsal view constricted below base of nasus; head below constriction large and bulbous in profile; concavity between base of nasus and head; nasus narrow and slender, in profile upper margin bending downward anteriorly to tip. Mandibles with points. Antennae with 13 articles; third longest, second subequal to fourth. Pronotum saddle shaped; front margin slightly indented medially; posterior margin straight.

SPECIMEN AND TYPE LOCALITY: Soldier (holotype) AMNH DR15-1257 .

ETYMOLOGY: This new species name is from Latin bulbus , ‘‘bulb’’, and describes the shape of the soldier’s head.

Figures

Fig. 28. Photomicrographs of Nasutitermitinae soldiers in Dominican amber. A. Caribitermes hispaniola, n. sp., AMNH DR15-1256A. B. Parvitermes longinasus, n. sp., AMNH DR15-1255. C. Nasutitermes rotundicephalus, n. sp., AMNH DR10-1789. D. Velocitermes bulbus, n. sp., AMNH DR15-1257.

Fig. 30. Heads in dorsal and lateral views of nasutitermitine soldiers in Dominican amber.