Genus Sandsitermes · 桑兹白蚁属

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

In the alate the dorsal surface of the head is slightly raised in front of the fontanelle, at the position of the ocelli; postclypeus slightly arched, anterior margin straight, posterior margin slightly convex; molar region of the right mandible distinctly concave, with faint ridges and a distinct basal pit. In the soldier the nasus is long and conical, but there is no apparent uniquely distinct morphological character (the original explicitly states no apparent uniquely distinct morphological character). In the worker the molar region of the mandibles is concave without well-developed ridges; P1 of the gut forms a separate loop before joining the paunch (P3); the enteric valve (P2) is weakly sclerotised, arranged in two rings, with minute conical spines.

Alate

Head capsule oval in dorsal view; frontal region between the ocelli not concave; in lateral view the dorsal surface of the head is slightly raised in front of the fontanelle, at the position of the ocelli. Compound eyes oval, large, their distance to the lower margin of the head smaller than to the ocelli. Ocelli oval in dorsal view, large (smaller than the antennal sockets), situated in the anterior half of the compound eyes, their distance from the compound eyes smaller than the width of an ocellus. Fontanelle paler than the head, lying in a shallow depression, Y-shaped, with a short anterior arm and a small transparent circle above the arms. Postclypeus slightly arched in lateral view, slightly concave along the midline in dorsal view; anterior margin straight, posterior margin slightly convex. Antennae 15-segmented. Pronotum wider than the head (excluding eyes), sub-trapezoidal, anterior margin raised, anterolateral angles rounded, lateral margins concave and narrowing posteriorly, posterior margin rounded and not concave. Posterior margins of mesonotum and metanotum deeply concave, posterolateral angles pointed. Tibial spur formula 2:2:2.

Soldier

Monotypic. Head capsule oval to round in dorsal view, not constricted, posterior margin not concave; in lateral view the vertex is slightly raised at the base of the nasus, with a shallow depression behind. Nasus conical, shorter than the head capsule, not directed upwards; postclypeus slightly convex in lateral view. Labrum wider than long, anterior margin rounded, lateral margins parallel, anterolateral angles rounded. Mandibles with a distinct 'point'. Antennae 13-segmented. Anterior lobe of the pronotum less developed than the posterior lobe, the angle between them about 90°. Forecoxa conical, without a keel on the anterior face. Tibial spur formula 2:2:2. Abdominal sclerites well sclerotised, tergites imbricate.

Worker

Head capsule trapezoidal in all workers; fontanelle distinct, situated at the middle of the head capsule, slightly concave; postclypeus swollen; antennae 14-segmented; anterior margin of the pronotum rounded, not concave; tibial spur formula 2:2:2. Workers dimorphic, distinguished by head-capsule pigmentation, mandible morphology and the shape and size of the tergites: type 2 is less numerous than type 1 in all samples studied, head capsule brownish yellow, with a depression anteriorly followed by a swelling; outer margin of the mandibles with a distinct concavity in front of the apical tooth, apical tooth larger, the gap between M3 and the molar prominence wider on the left, molar plate narrower; anterior lobe of the pronotum more developed than the posterior lobe. Within type 1 the head-capsule size appears to vary, but the number of individuals is insufficient for measurement.

Sources: Cuezzo C.; Cancello E. M.; Carrijo T. F. 2017. Sandsitermes gen. nov., a new nasute termite genus from South America (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae). Zootaxa 4221(5): 562–574. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4221.5.5, Genus Sandsitermes, new genus — Diagnosis; Description: Imago / Soldier / Worker（Zootaxa 4221: 563–569） This text is an adaptation, not a verbatim transcription of the original.