Genus Reticulitermes · 散白蚁属

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

Morphology

Key characters

Soldier head rectangular, the lateral margins parallel or nearly so; fontanelle small and dot-like; labrum ligulate, its tip semicircular and bearing a pair of long apical setae; mandibles slender to stout, sabre-like or nearly hooked; tibial spur formula 3:2:2.

Soldier

Soldier head rectangular, the lateral margins parallel or nearly parallel, the posterior margin broadly rounded or slightly straight. Frons from flat to strongly convex, flat or grooved between the frontal peaks. Fontanelle small, dot-like, rarely projecting. Labrum ligulate, its tip semicircular, bearing a pair of long apical setae; besides the pair of long apical setae, the subapical setae are either fine and small or slightly long, while the length of the lateral apical setae varies with the species and they are sometimes absent. Mandibles from slender to stout, sabre-like or curved and nearly hooked. Antennae 14–19-segmented. Legs slender and long, tibial spur formula 3:2:2, tarsi 4-segmented; pronotum flat. The waist region of the postmentum is narrow and long. Stylus 1-segmented, cerci 2-segmented.

Alate

Alate body colour mostly dark, a few pale, the colour of the head, pronotum and legs varying with the group. Head nearly circular, fontanelle small and dot-like. Ocelli distinct; the degree of projection of the postclypeus varies with the group. Antennae 16–19-segmented, the second marginal tooth of the left mandible generally about as long as the first. Forewing scale slightly overlapping the hindwing scale, wings dark in colour, sparsely hairy or with needle-like hairs, the wing surface without spots, the cross-veins numerous and united into a distinct network; tibial spur formula 3:2:2, tarsi 4-segmented. Cerci 2-segmented; the stylus of the male 1-segmented, absent in the female.

Summary

Reticulitermes soldiers have a rectangular head with parallel sides, a frons ranging from flat to strongly raised, and a minute dot-like fontanelle. The labrum is ligulate with a semicircular tip bearing a pair of long setae; the mandibles vary from slender to stout and sabre-like or hooked, and antennae have fourteen to nineteen segments. The tibial spur formula is three to two to two with four tarsal segments. Alates are mostly dark with sixteen to nineteen antennal segments and reticulate wings.

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.