Genus Amalotermes · 软白蚁属

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

Monotypic genus with a bizarre combination of characters, possessing features regarded as both primitive and specialised, and difficult to place in any known genus; this conventional conclusion is also confirmed by multivariate analysis. The enteric valve spines are somewhat similar to those of Alyscotermes, but the worker of this genus has a small, brown head and the enteric valve spines are almost radially symmetrical.

Worker

Medium-sized, W 0.74–0.79 mm. Fore tibia slender, Ti/Tw 6.14–6.43, with 3 apical spurs, but the third vestigial, almost disappearing in most specimens. Mandibular apical teeth short, La/Li 0.41–0.51, Ra/Ri 0.53–0.66; left mandible accessory marginal tooth with its proximal end concealed behind the molar prominence in surface view; right mandible 1st marginal tooth anterior margin distinctly shorter than the 2nd. Midgut and hindgut overlap up to about twice the midgut width at the Malpighian tubule insertion, extending to half of the Malpighian tubule knot. Enteric valve seat weakly bilobed, connected by a short neck to the second hindgut pouch, laterally situated in the unopened abdomen; enteric valve inner cushion lobes about equally developed, the distal ends bearing prominent coarse spines projecting through the valve opening.

Alate

Medium-sized, W 0.81–0.90 mm. Fore tibia with 3 apical spurs, but the third vestigial, almost disappearing in some specimens. Mandibular apical teeth short, La/Li 0.38–0.48, Ra/Ri 0.56–0.65; left mandible accessory marginal tooth with its proximal end concealed behind the molar prominence; right mandible 1st marginal tooth anterior margin about equal in length to the 2nd, its apex slightly behind the line between the apical tooth and the 2nd marginal tooth. Meso- and metanotal plates rather broad at the constriction, M/W 0.25–0.28, transverse suture distinct, usually clear.

Sources: Sands W. A. 1972. The soldierless termites of Africa (Isoptera: Termitidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology Supplement 18: 1–244. doi 10.5962/p.192782., pp. 47–50 This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.