Genus Pseudocapritermes · 伪扭白蚁属

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 Pseudocapritermes in the original book, reorganised and rewritten); the source keys and measurement tables are not reproduced here.

Morphology

Key characters

Soldier head rectangular, the left mandible twisted, its apex narrow and curved inwards into a hook, the right mandible straight as a sword, the two mandibles very different; labrum longer than wide, the anteromedian notch shallow and flat; antennae 14-segmented; pronotum much narrower than the head capsule, saddle-shaped.

Soldier

Soldier head capsule rectangular, the lateral margins slightly parallel, the frons not convex or slightly raised. Mandibles asymmetrical: the left mandible is twisted, narrowed at the apex and curved inwards into a hook; the right mandible is straighter, sword-like, its tip mostly slightly inclined inwards, occasionally projecting forwards or curved outwards. The two mandibles are very different. Labrum usually longer than wide, the anteromedian notch shallow and gentle. Antennae 14-segmented. Pronotum narrower than the head, saddle-shaped. Tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Alate

Alate head capsule broadly oval. The distance between the apical tooth and the first marginal tooth of the right mandible is slightly greater than the distance between the first and second marginal teeth. In the left mandible the posterior margins of the first and second marginal teeth together are long, forming almost a straight line. Postclypeus convex, without a distinct median suture. Tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Distribution

Oriental region; 12 species are known in the genus, which is the only genus of the twisted-jaw termite group confined to the Oriental region, and seven species are recorded from China.

Summary

Pseudocapritermes soldiers have a rectangular head with slightly parallel sides. The mandibles are very unequal, the left twisted with a narrow, inward-hooked apex, the right straighter and sabre-like. The labrum is usually longer than broad with a shallow, even anterior notch, antennae are 14-segmented and the pronotum is saddle-shaped and narrower than the head. Alates have a convex postclypeus without a distinct median suture. The genus is endemic to the Oriental region.

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.