Genus Armitermes · 戟白蚁属

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

The alate differs very little from that of Cornitermes, only in the head and body being on average slightly smaller, antennae 14–15 segments; the soldier head is pyriform, drawn anteriorly into a short or long conical frontal tube, the frontal gland opening lies at the apex of the tube, the frontal gland is very large, antennae 13–14 segments, the pronotum is more saddle-shaped than in Cornitermes and the anterior lobe is often shorter. Worker pale, head small. Holmgren 1912 divided the genus into three subgenera, Armitermes s. str., Curvitermes and Rhynchotermes.

Alate

Differs very little from the alate of Cornitermes, the head on average smaller and the body also slightly smaller. Compound eyes variable in size; ocelli variable in size and position. Frontal gland opening distinct, small to very large; frons slightly depressed. Base of clypeus strongly arched, as long as or longer than half its width, brighter than the frons, posterior margin strongly convex, anterior margin straight. Mandibular first tooth larger than the second or equal to it, in which case the antennae have 14 segments; antennae 14–15 segments, in the former case the third segment much longer than the remaining ones, in the latter shorter than the second. Thorax and wings as in Cornitermes, but the first cubital branch of the wing distinctly stouter than the subsequent ones; wing membrane sometimes weakly punctate.

Soldier

Head pyriform, drawn anteriorly into a short or long conical frontal tube; frontal gland opening large, at the apex of the frontal tube, frontal gland very large. Transverse band and frons both very small, hidden beneath the 'nose'. Clypeus small, almost indistinguishable from the transverse band. Labrum short and relatively broad. Mandibles often very strongly curved; left base large to very large, often with a sharp molar angle, or with 2 sharp teeth before the molar angle; the middle tooth arrangement is variable, the original describing the number of teeth, their separation or fusion, and the shape of the molar angle in 5 forms. Antennae 13–14 segments. Pronotum usually more saddle-shaped than in Cornitermes, anterior lobe often shorter, otherwise as in that genus.

Worker

Pale. Head small, concolorous with the rest of the body, more or less pentagonal and rounded. Base of clypeus about as long as half its width, strongly arched, posterior margin strongly convex, anterior margin straight and sharply defined. Mandibular first tooth almost always longer than the second. Antennae 14–15 segments. Pronotum as in the soldier.

Sources: Holmgren, N. 1912. Termitenstudien 3. Systematik der Termiten. Die Familien Mastotermitidae, Protermitidae und Mesotermitidae. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar 48(4): 1–166, Taf. 1–4., pp. 53—54（archive.org 项 biostor-184513 页面图像） This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.