Genus Protohamitermes · 始钩白蚁属

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

A monotypic genus, with only the species globiceps, from Sarawak, Borneo. The left mandible has the Leucotermes-type dentition (4 teeth before the basal segment), on which basis Holmgren placed the genus in the Hamitermes branch and considered its position in that branch fairly primitive. The alate is brown and densely hairy, the wings fairly short and hairy; antennae of 14 segments; worker antennae of 13 segments. Soldier unknown.

Alate

Brown, densely hairy, the wings fairly short and hairy. Head very strongly broadly convex, slightly depressed around the frontal gland opening. Compound eyes medium-sized, fairly strongly convex; ocelli relatively small, separated from the compound eyes by more than one eye diameter. Frontal gland opening behind the middle of the head, large, dark. Clypeal base very short and flat, without a longitudinal line, the apical piece large. Left mandible with the Leucotermes-type dentition, 4 teeth before the basal segment; right mandible with only 3 anterior teeth, of which the apical is far shorter than the others. Antennae of 14 segments, segment 3 small. Pronotum narrower than the head; the emargination of the posterior margin of the mesonotum wider than that of the metanotum. Forewing scale slightly larger than the hindwing scale; media with 1–2 apical branches, cubitus with 12–18 branches; all veins distinct, the inner 5–7 thickened. Cerci thick and short; without styli; tarsi short.

Worker

Densely hairy and setose. Head round, sometimes even wider than long, thick, slightly depressed in the middle. Frontal gland opening large, sometimes dark. Clypeal base short and flat. Mandibular basal segments large, mandibles as in the alate. Antennae of 13 segments, fairly thick, segment 3 shorter than segment 2 and segment 4 longer than segment 3. Pronotum short, saddle-shaped, the anterior margin not concave. Cerci short and thick, without styli. Tarsi short. Abdomen thick.

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. 77—78（archive.org 项 biostor-184513 页面图像） This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.