Genus Neotermes · 新白蚁属

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) (generic description in the original book's section on Neotermes, reorganised and rewritten); the source keys and measurement tables are not reproduced here.

Morphology

Key characters

Soldier head rectangular, the frontal region raised and gradually sloping towards the clypeus; the inner margin of the left mandible with four to five marginal teeth, the right with two; antennae with twelve to sixteen segments, the third not especially swollen; cerci with two segments.

Soldier

Soldier fairly large, head rectangular, the dorsal and ventral surfaces rather flat. Frontal region raised, gradually sloping towards the clypeus. Mandibles stout and rather long, the inner margin of the left with four to five marginal teeth, the right with two. Labrum short and broad, its anterior margin broadly arcuate and the sides rounded, tongue-shaped. Antennae with twelve to sixteen segments, the third not especially swollen, slightly longer or slightly shorter than the second. Pale eye spots behind the antennal sockets. Postmentum with the sides of the widest part slightly concave or notched at the middle, the outline parallel or slightly narrowed posteriorly, the waist central. The median notch of the anterior margin of the pronotum broadly arcuate and shallow, the middle of the posterior margin slightly concave or nearly straight. Femora not swollen, tibial spur formula 3:3:3.

Alate

Alate head outline somewhat square, the posterior lateral corners broadly rounded, the two sides and the middle of the posterior margin rather straight. The inner margin of each mandible with two marginal teeth, the apical tooth slightly longer than the first marginal tooth, the posterior margin of the first marginal tooth of the left mandible fused with the second marginal tooth and longer than the anterior margin of the third marginal tooth. Labrum short, broad and tongue-shaped. Antennae with sixteen to nineteen segments, the third not larger than the second or the fourth. Compound eyes fairly large, projecting outwards below the lower margin of the head, the pair of ocelli on their inner side touching the compound eyes. Postmentum narrow and long. Pronotum transversely rectangular, short and broad, wider than the head, the median notch of the anterior margin broadly arcuate, the middle of the posterior margin slightly concave. Forewing scale large, its anterior margin projecting and covering the hindwing scale, media sclerotised. Legs slender, spur formula 3:3:3, an arolium between the claws, cerci with two segments.

Biology and economic significance

Neotermes species are wood-dwelling termites, usually living in damp wood that contains some moisture and in living tree trunks, hence they are also called dampwood termites. Besides damaging trees, they can also attack timber-framed houses and economic forest trees; in the swarming season a pair of reproductives may enter wood, tree stumps or structural timber to found a new colony and gradually spread the damage.

Distribution

Oriental Region, also found in the Americas and elsewhere; recorded from every province and autonomous region of southern China.

Summary

Neotermes soldiers are rather large, with a rectangular, flattened head and a raised frons sloping to the clypeus. The left mandible bears four or five marginal teeth and the right two; the labrum is short, broad and ligulate. Antennae have twelve to sixteen segments with an unenlarged third, and a pale eye spot sits behind the antennal fossa. The genus lives in moist timber and living trunks as a damp-wood termite, damaging trees, wooden buildings and plantations.

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.