Genus Ancistrotermes · 钩白蚁属

Fauna Sinica account

The account below is a reorganized and rewritten adaptation of the genus-level description in Fauna Sinica, Insecta Vol. 17, Isoptera (2000) (genus-level account reorganised and rewritten from the Ancistrotermes section of the original book); the source keys and measurement tables are not reproduced here.

Morphology

Key characters

Soldier dimorphic, predominantly yellow in colour; head nearly circular, widest at the middle; the anterior portion of the mandibles slender and curved; the inner margin with only minute denticles at mid-length; labrum ligulate with a bluntly rounded apex; antennae 15- or 16-segmented; pronotum distinctly narrower than the head width.

Soldier

Soldier of two forms, major and minor. In the major soldier the head capsule is yellow to deep yellow, the mandibles reddish brown, the labrum pale yellow, the antennae milky white, and the pronotum, abdomen and legs pale yellow. Long hairs are scattered over the head, the labrum bears a pair of apical hairs, and several long hairs are arranged in longitudinal rows on each side. The head is nearly circular to oval, widest at the middle, the middle or anterior part humped in lateral view. Labrum ligulate with a bluntly rounded apex; the anterior portion of the mandibles slender and curved, the inner margin with or without a minute denticle at mid-length. Postmentum raised, projecting in a broad arc at the middle. When the antennae are 15-segmented the third segment is the shortest; when 16-segmented the fourth is the shortest. The pronotum is narrower than the head, its anterior and posterior margins both concave at the middle. The minor soldier is paler in colour and smaller in size, its parts otherwise similar to those of the major soldier.

Distribution

Oriental and Afrotropical regions; distributed in tropical areas, recorded from southern China.

Summary

Ancistrotermes has dimorphic soldiers. The major soldier is yellow to dark yellow with a nearly circular or oval head, widest at the middle and humped in profile. The labrum is tongue-shaped with a blunt tip, the mandibles curve slenderly forward and carry a minute tooth or none, and antennae have 15 or 16 segments, the third or fourth being shortest. The pronotum is narrower than the head. Minor soldiers are smaller and paler. The genus is known from the Oriental and Ethiopian regions.

Sources cited: Huang Fusheng, Zhu Shimo, Ping Zhengming, Wang Zhiguo, Li Can and Xu Chungui, 2000. Fauna Sinica, Insecta Vol. 17, Isoptera. Beijing: Science Press. This text is a reorganized adaptation, not a verbatim transcription.