Genus Genuotermes · 膝白蚁属

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

Soldier mandibles elongate, bent at the proximal 1/3, the inner margin of the distal 2/3 a serrate blade with a basal projecting tooth, molar plate and molar prominence visible at the base; head capsule in dorsal view subrectangular, with a characteristic frontal projection, the opening of the frontal gland at the tip of the head projection, facing forward. Alate compound eyes hemispherical, fontanelle a small slit.

Soldier

Mandibles elongate, bent at the proximal 1/3; inner margin of the distal 2/3 a serrate blade, with a conspicuous projecting tooth at the base; molar plate and molar prominence visible at the base. Head capsule in dorsal view subrectangular, with a characteristic frontal projection (best seen in lateral view); opening of the frontal gland at the tip of the head projection, facing forward. Labrum subrectangular; tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Worker

Head capsule round in dorsal view; fontanelle indistinct; antennae 14–15-segmented; apical tooth of mandibles far more developed than the marginal teeth, the apices of the marginal teeth discernible. Digestive tract: P1 inflated, on the left side of the body, its terminal section forming an elongate loop that reaches the dorsal region and then descends to join P3; gizzard with 24 visible folds in the columnar band (6 first-order, 6 second-order, 12 third-order), the first-order folds with spinous ornamentation; enteric valve composed of three equidistant longitudinal cushions, covered with stout upright spines in a brush-like arrangement.

Alate

Compound eyes hemispherical, elliptical in lateral view, approaching but not touching the ventral margin of the head or the ocelli; fontanelle indistinct, appearing as a small slit on the dorsal surface of the head; pronotum subtrapezoidal, anterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin of mesonotum deeply concave and pointed, that of metanotum shallower and rounded; tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Sources: Rocha M. M. 2013. Redescription of the enigmatic genus Genuotermes Emerson (Isoptera, Termitidae, Termitinae). ZooKeys 340: 107-117. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.340.6131, Description › Soldier（p. 109）；Description › Worker（p. 109）；Description › Digestive tube（p. 109） This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.