Genus Rhinotermes · 鼻白蚁属
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Distribution map
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About the genus
This genus belongs to the family Rhinotermitidae 鼻白蚁科; the site records 4 species.
Type species: Rhinotermes nasutus.
This page includes a distribution map for the genus (GBIF records aggregated on a 1° grid); open a species entry to see its type locality, distribution, and references.
Etymology
From Greek rhis (nose) + Latin termes, for the nasute soldier.
The etymologies in this section are analytical breakdowns; the roots follow Brown (1956).
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
The soldier occurs in two forms, major and minor, both with a forked labrum; the major soldier has very stout and strong mandibles, the left with two strong teeth and the right with one, the bases not finely serrate; the minor soldier has relatively longer, narrower and straighter mandibles with narrower and sharper teeth, or reduced mandibles; the labrum is relatively short and broad in the major soldier and in the minor soldier extends beyond the mandibles, being forked and grooved at the tip, either rather broad or extremely narrow; antennae 14–17 segments; pronotum small, far narrower than the head; styli present. In the alate of the subgenus Rhinotermes s. str. the clypeus is strong and beak-shaped and covers the base of the labrum, the head is relatively large, and in the minor soldier the labrum is forked and the mandibles are reduced.
Alate
Head almost circular; clypeus more or less strongly arched, with a median longitudinal groove; fontanelle open and relatively wide, situated anteriorly; antennae 20–22 segments, segment 3 longer than segment 2.
Soldier
Occurring in two forms, major and minor, with a forked labrum. Major soldier: mandibles stout and very strong, the left with two strong teeth and the right with one, the mandibular bases without fine teeth; labrum relatively short and broad, forked and grooved at the tip. Minor soldier: mandibles relatively longer, narrower and straighter, with narrower and sharper teeth, or reduced; labrum extending beyond the mandibles, forked and grooved at the tip. Antennae 14–17 segments in both forms; pronotum small, far narrower than the head; styli present.
Worker
Antennae 16–18 segments, segment 3 longer than segment 2; pronotum saddle-shaped.
Sources: Hill, G. F. 1933. Australian Rhinotermes (Isoptera). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, N.S. 45(1): 1–17, pls. I–IV., p. 1 (属征，引 Holmgren；亚属 Rhinotermes s. str.) This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.
Literature notes
Edited notes based on the original literature, not transcriptions. The source markers in each paragraph point to archived records in .sources; full citations are listed below.
Early history of the genus name and its current family placement
According to Termitology (2014), Rhinotermes was named by Hagen in 1853 and is one of the earliest-named termite genera.
According to Hellemans et al. (2024), Rhinotermes is the type genus of Rhinotermitidae sensu novo; the family now contains only five genera, Acorhinotermes, Dolichorhinotermes, Parrhinotermes, Rhinotermes and Schedorhinotermes, the former subfamily Rhinotermitinae having been elevated to family rank (that is, Rhinotermitidae sensu novo), and Macrorhinotermes (a synonym) having been merged into Schedorhinotermes.
References
- 程冬保, 杨兆芬. 白蚁学. 北京: 科学出版社, 2014.
- Hellemans S., Rocha M. M., Wang M., et al. Genomic data provide insights into the classification of extant termites. 2024.
Species (4)
Parent level: Checklist index · Rhinotermitidae 鼻白蚁科 · Data & downloads