Cucurbitermes sinensis 中华葫白蚁
- Type locality
- China: Guangxi Province: Longsheng County: Huaping forest
- Distribution
- China, Guangdong
List： English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Cucurbitermes sinensis is a species of the genus Cucurbitermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Nasutitermitinae). The species was described by Li & Ping in 1985; the type locality is China: Guangxi Province: Longsheng County: Huaping forest. Distribution: China, Guangdong.
Etymology
Genus name Cucurbitermes: From Latin cucurbita (gourd) + termes.
Specific epithet sinensis: Latin Sinensis (of China)
Taxonomic position
- Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
- Subfamily: Nasutitermitinae — 81 genera, 606 species
- Genus: Cucurbitermes — 3 species
- Type species of the genus: Cucurbitermes yingdeensis
Distribution
- Distribution records: China, Guangdong
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
Recorded in Fauna Sinica
The morphological and biological accounts below are taken from Fauna Sinica and related literature; only structure and punctuation have been standardized here.
Morphology
Soldier
Head pale brown to deep brown, the nasus deeper than the head, antennae, anterior half of the pronotum and abdominal tergites brown, legs pale white. The tip of the nasus with several hairs, the head and thorax almost hairless, the abdominal tergites with only a few fine short hairs. Without the nasus the head is slightly broader than long; in front view it is constricted at the base of the nasus and at the antennal sockets, slightly convex between the two constrictions, gourd-shaped; strongly convex behind the antennal sockets, the sides circular, the posterior margin slightly flat. Nasus slender and tubular, the fontanelle at its tip appearing as a transparent point, in profile the tip of the nasus and the back of the head at about the same level, slightly concave between them. Mandibles bluntly convex, without a spine. Antennae with 14 segments, the third longer than the second, the second almost equal to the fourth. The anterior half of the pronotum upright and upturned, meeting the posterior half at a right angle, the median notch of the anterior margin distinct, that of the posterior margin indistinct. Spur formula 2:2:2, tarsi with four segments. The species is dimorphic in size, the small soldier resembling the large soldier in colour and in hairlessness, its head and nasus paler, antennae with 13 segments, the third twice as long as the second.
Alate
Worker
Nymph
Abstract (from the source)
Soldiers are dimorphic. The head is pale to dark brown, darkest on the nasus, with almost no hair except a few setae at the nasus tip. Excluding the nasus the head is slightly wider than long, constricted at the nasus base and antennal sockets in a gourd-like outline, strongly bulging behind the sockets with rounded sides and a flat rear margin. The nasus is slender and tubular with a translucent pore at the tip; the mandibles are blunt and spineless. Antennae have 14 segments in the major form, 13 in the minor.
Biology
Distribution and locality
Longsheng, Guangxi; Jiulianshan and Jingdezhen, Jiangxi; Wuyishan, Fujian.
Taxonomic notes
Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 394 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.
Distribution map
No GBIF record with coordinates was found for this species.
Related papers
Cached papers for this genus (matched automatically, for reference); to search this species with its junior synonyms merged in, use the literature search.
- TWO NEW SPECIES OF NEW GENUS CUCURBITERMES OF SUBFAMILY NASUTITERMITINAE FROM CHINA (ISOPTERA: TERMITIDAE)
Abstract
CUCURBITERMES gen. nov.Type specie: Cucurbitermes yingdeensis sp. nov.Diagnosis: Soldier: (Figs. 1-4, 9-16) body medium or large in size. Monomor-phic or dimorphic; Head without hairs, bristles, and nasus, wider than long, or sub-equal. Nasus thin and long. Base of nasus and antennae earinae constricted in cucurbit-shape. Lateral sides strongly bulging behind antennal earinae. Posterior margin slight straight. Mandibles without points. Antennae with 13-14 articles. Tibial spurs 2:2:2. Tarsi four-jointed.Imago (king and queen) (Figs. 5-8, 17-21): Head almost round with numerous short hairs and long birstles, pronotum as hairy as head, but circuit margin long birst-les more than head. Fontanelle large oval. Eyes large, very bulging, almost round. Ocelli oval slightly bulging. Left mandible with apical tooth as large as the first marginal tooth; The cutting edge between marginal teeth of left mandible is almost straight. Left mandibular index 0.46. Antennae with 15 articles. Pronctum anterior margin almost straight. Posterior margin slightly emarginate in middle. Comparisons: Cucurbitermes, gen. nov., can be distinguished from the other na-sute genera of the oriental region by a combination of the following characters:Soldier: Head with lateral sides strongly bulging in antennae carinae behind. Base of nasus and antenae carinae contricted in cucurbit-shape. Posterior margin of head slight straight. Mandibles without apical points. Antennae with 13-14 articles.Imago-worker: left mandible with apical tooth as large as the first marginal tooth. The cutting edge between marginal teeth almost straight.Soldiers of Nosutitermes, most species are monomorphic, mandibles usually with points. Head capsule without any pronounced constriction in antennae carinae behind.Cucurbitermes new genus, resembles closely to Ahmaditermes Akhtar. But differs as follows: 1. Soldier: nasus is thin and long, posterior margin of head slightly straight, vs. Nasus is very short, posterior margin of head is slightly emarginate in middle. 2. Imago-worker: left, mandible with cutting edge between marginal teeth almost straight vs. Left mandible with cutting edge between marginal teeth distinctly sinuate.Cucurbitermes yingdeensis sp. nov. (Figs. 1-8, Tables 1-2)Soldier: body medium in size, monomorphic. Head light brown, rostrum brown. Head without hairs, rostrum thin and long. Head slightly wider than long without rostrum. Base of nasus and antennae carinae constricted cucurbit-shape. Lateral sides strongly bulging in antennae carinae behind posterior margin slight straight. Mandible without points. Antennae with 13 articles., third article twice as long as second, second and fourth subequal. Pronotum saddle-saped, without emarginate either anteriorly or posteriorly. Tibial supurs 2:2:2. Tarsi four-jointed.Imago: head brownish red, antennae and pronotum yellowish brown. Head densely hairy, with short hairs and long bristles, pronotum as hairly as head, but circuit long bristles more than head. Head almost round. Pontanelle large, long oval. Eyes large, very bulging, almost round. Ocelli slightly bulging, oval. Postclypeus slightly swollen. Antennae with 15 articles, second, third and fourth subequal. Left mandible with apical tooth as large as the first marginal tooth, the cutting edge between marginal teeth of left mandibles almost straight. Left mandibulair index 0.46. Pronotum with anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin slightly emarginate in middle.Holotype: soldier; paratypes: soldiers, workers, king and queen. Type locality: Yingde County, Guangdong province. 28. Ⅵ. 1963.Cucurbitermes sinensis sp. nov. (Pigs. 9-21, Tables 3-5)The soldier differs from that of Cucurbitermes yingdeensis, sp. nov.: Dimorphic; Major soldier: head without nasus wider than long. Antennae with 14 articles. King and equeen: antennae with the second article distincly longer than third.Holotype: major soldier; paratypes: major, minor soldiers, workers king and queen Type locality: Huaping forest, Longsheng county, Guangxi. 5. Ⅸ. 1973. Collected by Li Gui-xiang and
- 浙江省等翅目两新种（等翅目：白蚁科）
Abstract
本文记述了等翅目白蚁科两新种：浙江大白蚁Ｍａｃｒｏｔｅｒｍｅｓ ｚｈｅｊｉａｎｇｅｎｓｉｓ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．和小葫白蚁Ｃｕｃｕｒｂｉｔｅｒｍｅｓ ｐａｒｖｉｃｅｐｓ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．。标本均采自浙江省，正模保存于广东省昆虫研究所。
Papers on this species, synonyms included → OpenAlex Google Scholar CNKI
Abstracts come from open metadata; copyright remains with the original authors/publishers. For reference only — please check the original.
Other species in Cucurbitermes (2 species)
Cite this species
Citation strings are generated from the fields of this page; please keep the DOI and the version number when citing.
GB/T 7714
班奈特格林. Extant Isoptera (termites): a checklist of Latin and Chinese names: Cucurbitermes sinensis 中华葫白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/cucurbitermes-sinensis/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_cucurbitermes_sinensis_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Cucurbitermes sinensis: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/cucurbitermes-sinensis/},
note = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Cucurbitermes sinensis: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/cucurbitermes-sinensis/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -