Genus Rugitermes · 皱白蚁属

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

The alate can be distinguished from other genera of the family by the media of the forewing, which is short, sclerotised and joins the radial sector close to the wing suture, and by the absence of the media in the hindwing; the soldier resembles Neotermes, but the third antennal segment is club-shaped and always longer than the second, and there is a distinct ridge anteromesally to the antennal sockets.

Alate

Usually dark brown, the pronotum pale yellow in some species; eyes small, 0.29–0.43 mm in diameter, ocelli not touching the compound eye, 0.04–0.07 mm from it; antennae 15–20 segments; mandibles resembling those of Kalotermes; pronotum wider than the head; wing membrane densely covered with small verrucose pigment papillae; each main vein arising independently at the wing suture; radius simple; radial sector with 7–8 branches; media strongly sclerotised, joining the radial sector at 1/5–1/10 of the wing length from the wing suture and curving upwards shortly after the suture; cubitus weak; media absent in the hindwing; arolium present.

Soldier

Head long and narrow, the sides parallel; median concavity only slightly bilobed; dorsal antennal ridges extending towards the middle and forming a distinct ridge anteriorly; eyes colourless; antennae 12–18 segments, the third always longer than the second, club-shaped; mandibles short and thick, the outer margin evenly rounded, with or without a basal tubercle; pronotum narrower than, equal to or wider than the head, the anterior margin shallowly concave or angular; legs not swollen.

Sources: Krishna K. 1961. A generic revision and phylogenetic study of the family Kalotermitidae (Isoptera). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 122: 303–408., pp. 326–328 This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.