Genus Prorhinotermes · 原鼻白蚁属

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) (the genus-level account of Prorhinotermes in the original book, reorganised and rewritten); the source keys and measurement tables are not reproduced here.

Morphology

Key characters

Soldier head capsule oval or nearly trapezoidal, narrower in its anterior part; frontal gland pore obvious, with a shallow groove about one third of the head length in front of it; mandibles sabre-like, curved at the apex; tibial spur formula 3:2:2, antennae 16–19-segmented.

Soldier

Soldier head capsule oval or nearly trapezoidal, relatively narrow in its anterior part. Frontal gland pore distinct, with a shallow groove in front of it about one third of the length of the head capsule. Compound eyes distinct or already reduced. Antennae 16–19-segmented. Mandibles sabre-like, curved at the apex, the inner margin smooth, or with traces of fine teeth at the base. Tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Alate

Alate head capsule slightly longer than broad, oval; the frontal gland pore is distinct, and there is also a shallow groove in front of it. Postclypeus convex, much broader than long, with or without a median suture. Antennae 19–22-segmented. Pronotum broader than the head capsule or slightly narrower. Wing membrane sparsely hairy, the venation strongly reticulate, the media absent or arising from the cubitus, tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Biology and economic significance

Prorhinotermes attacks a variety of living trees and also feeds on dead and decaying parts. Prorhinotermes simplex is distributed over the Caribbean islands and has spread to the southern tip of the Florida peninsula in the United States, where it is regarded as a wood-destroying pest of buildings that cannot be ignored. The genus has long been considered an island-dwelling group, and its colonies are mostly built as honeycomb-like nests at the sites of attack.

Distribution

Oriental region, Oceania, the Americas and Africa; four species known from China, recorded from Yunnan, Hainan, Taiwan and the Xisha Islands.

Summary

Prorhinotermes soldiers have an oval to almost trapezoidal head narrowing anteriorly, a distinct frontal gland pore preceded by a shallow groove about one third of the head length, and antennae of sixteen to nineteen segments. The sabre-like mandibles have a curved apex and a smooth or finely denticulate inner margin; the tibial spur formula is three to two to two. The genus bores living trees, feeds on decayed wood and builds honeycomb nests in the damaged tissue.

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.