Anaorotermes echinocolon Sands, 1972 海胆肠无戟白蚁

Morphology

The description below is paraphrased from the original or a later revision, by caste; the source is cited at the end.

Diagnostic characters

The alate is distinguished from Ateuchotermes and Aderitotermes by the dense, irregular head pilosity, which does not form a felt-like layer, and from Alyscotermes, Astalotermes and Astratotermes by the peculiar, almost triangular fontanelle; Amicotermes has a longer apical tooth. The worker enteric valve structure is unique, and Sands considered comparison unnecessary.

Worker

Large, W 0.88 mm. Fore tibia slender, Ti/Tw 5.89, with 3 apical spurs, the third smaller than the other two but not reduced. Mandibular apical tooth short, La/Li 0.53, Ra/Ri 0.80; the proximal end of the left accessory marginal tooth just free of the molar prominence; the apex of right marginal tooth 1 slightly behind the line joining the apical tooth and marginal tooth 2, its anterior margin slightly shorter than that of marginal tooth 2. Midgut and hindgut overlapping, the overlap about twice the midgut width at the insertion of the Malpighian tubules, closely to the right of the Malpighian knot. Enteric valve seat with 2 rather prominent outer lobes and 1 smaller inner lobe, joined by a short neck to the second hindgut pouch, which is very thick-walled, dorsal in the unopened abdomen; the enteric valve inner pads differ in form at the four positions: position 1 reduced, withdrawn, unclerotised, with at most 1–2 minute scales or teeth on the inner face; position 2 protruding slightly through the valve opening, with 1 or 2 elongated sclerotised spines, the rest with a few minute spines; position 3 with the apex sclerotised, hemispherical, everted, bearing about 35 stout, long, curved spines; position 4 protruding through the valve opening, the apex sclerotised and with 7–8 long outward-curving spines arranged in a rake.

Alate

Large, W 1.11–1.13 mm. Fore tibia with 3 apical spurs, the third well developed. Mandibular apical tooth short, La/Li 0.49–0.51, Ra/Ri 0.75–0.81; the proximal end of the left accessory marginal tooth clearly free of the molar prominence; right mandibular apical tooth and marginal tooth apices about in line, marginal teeth 1 and 2 with equal anterior margins. Meso- and metanotal plates moderately broad at the constriction, M/W 0.31, transverse suture present. Fontanelle almost triangular; head pilosity dense and irregular, not forming a felt-like layer.

This genus is monotypic, containing only this species; the following is the genus-level description based on the original literature; species-level measurements and intraspecific variation are given in the original.