Genus Acutidentitermes · 尖齿白蚁属
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Distribution map
GBIF has no georeferenced records for this genus, so this page has no genus-level map; see the family map for Termitidae or the subfamily map for Apicotermitinae.
About the genus
This genus belongs to the family Termitidae 白蚁科, in the subfamily Apicotermitinae 尖白蚁亚科; the site records 1 species.
Type species: Acutidentitermes osborni.
GBIF has no georeferenced records for this genus, so this page has no map; open a species entry to see its type locality and references.
Etymology
From Latin acutus (sharp) + dens (tooth) + termes.
The etymologies in this section are analytical breakdowns; the roots follow Brown (1956).
Morphology
The descriptions below are an adaptation of the original genus-level accounts; terms follow the meaning of the source, and the original is not transcribed verbatim.
Diagnostic characters
Closely related to Hoplognathotermes but distinguishable in the soldier: head very large, sides slightly convex and nearly parallel; postmentum more bulbous, its lateral margins overlapping and concealing the lateral suture; suture between postclypeus and frons far less distinct; labrum with sharper lateral and median points; anteriorly directed mandibular teeth longer, sharper and more anteriorly directed; anterior lobe of the pronotum larger and longer, the median notch of the anterior margin deeper and wider; fore femur relatively long and slender. Alate unknown.
Soldier
Head surface with only a few rather short setae, none near the fontanelle; postmentum completely hairless, without setae; first 4 abdominal tergites with rather long setae, almost without short hairs, posterior tergites and sternites with additional short hairs. Head very large, sides slightly convex and nearly parallel, fontanelle small. Postmentum more bulbous than in Hoplognathotermes, its posterior lateral margins overlapping, so that in ventral view the outer suture is concealed except near the posterior margin; posterior part of the postmentum without a transverse ridge. Antennae 15-segmented. Suture between postclypeus and frons far less distinct than in Hoplognathotermes. Labrum with sharper lateral and median points. Both mandibles with conspicuous anteriorly directed teeth, but longer, sharper and more anteriorly directed than in Hoplognathotermes; apical outward curvature weaker; the notch on the side at the boundary between apex and base less conspicuous. Anterior lobe of the pronotum larger and longer than in Hoplognathotermes, the median notch of the anterior margin more conspicuous and wider, the posterior margin more concave. Fore coxa simple, the longitudinal ridge obtuse, moderately sharp, straight or slightly convex in section, without coarse spines; fore femur relatively long and slender. Tibial spur formula 3:2:2.
Worker
Differs from Hoplognathotermes as follows: the angle between the apical tooth and the first marginal tooth of both mandibles is sharper; the cutting edges of the first and second marginal teeth of the left mandible are proportionally slightly longer; the upper ridge of the molar region of the right mandible is sharper and more concave.
Sources: Emerson A. E. 1959. The African termite genera Firmitermes, Hoplognathotermes, Acutidentitermes, Duplidentitermes, and Heimitermes (Termitidae, Termitinae). American Museum Novitates 1947: 1–43., pp. 20–21（Soldier、Worker） This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.
Literature notes
Edited notes based on the original literature, not transcriptions. The source markers in each paragraph point to archived records in .sources; full citations are listed below.
Establishment and taxonomic placement of the genus
According to Emerson's (1959) study, Acutidentitermes is a new genus established in that paper, with Acutidentitermes osborni as its type species; the type material includes one soldier and workers from the same nest, collected from an underground nest near the Epulu River in the Ituri rainforest of the Belgian Congo. The original paper placed the genus among the primitive groups of Termitinae and recorded a large soldier head with nearly parallel sides, a small fontanelle, an inflated postmentum, 15-segmented antennae and a tibial spur formula of 3:2:2; this checklist currently places it in Apicotermitinae.
References
- Emerson, A. E. 1959. The African termite genera Firmitermes, Hoplognathotermes, Acutidentitermes, Duplidentitermes, and Heimitermes (Termitidae, Termitinae). American Museum Novitates 1947: 1–43.
Species (1)
- Acutidentitermes osborni Emerson, 1959 奥斯本尖齿白蚁 ★ Type species
Parent level: Checklist index · Apicotermitinae 尖白蚁亚科 · Data & downloads