Glyptotermes chinpingensis Tsai & Chen, 1963 金平树白蚁

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

The soldier has the head pale reddish brown, paler behind and deeper in front; antennae yellow; the anterior half of the mandibles black, the posterior half the same colour as the frons; thoracic tergites and the posterior part of each sternite pale yellow, the abdomen of living individuals pale pink. Head cylindrical, rectangular in dorsal view, the sides parallel; at the anterior fifth of the dorsum of the head the middle is depressed, forming a low peak-like projection on each side, whence the surface descends at a slope of 45 degrees towards the clypeus. Mandibles short and stout, their tips curved towards the midline. Left mandible with four teeth: the first two both triangular, the second broader at the base than the first, their tips directed inwards and situated before the midpoint of the mandible; the third lower, exactly behind the midpoint; the fourth still lower. The right mandible has a large triangular tooth before the midpoint with its tip inclined slightly forwards, and a lower blunt tooth behind the midpoint. Antennae with 10–13 segments. Pronotum slightly narrower than the head, its anterior margin concave backwards, the anterolateral angles small and rounded, the anterior sections of the two sides nearly parallel, curving into a large arc where they meet the posterior margin, both the anterior and posterior margins with a median notch.

Alate

The alate has the head, thoracic plates, abdominal sternites, coxae and trochanters black, antennae and labrum yellowish brown, femora and tibiae pale yellow to white, wings brown, the whole body very sparsely haired. Head nearly square, labrum square with its anterior margin straight; the anteclypeus more than twice as wide as long, the postclypeus as wide as the anteclypeus and about half as long, band-shaped. Ocelli very small, situated directly above the compound eyes, close to one another but not touching; compound eyes oval. Antennae with 13–15 segments, the second to fourth of about equal length. The anterior margin of the pronotum concave, the anterolateral angles obtuse, the posterior part narrowed, the posterior section of the lateral margins continuous with the posterior margin in an arc, the middle of the posterior margin slightly concave forwards. The forewing scale large, about twice as long as the hindwing scale, the wing surface covered with granular convexities and concavities. In the forewing Sc is very short, R reaches a quarter of the wing length, M arises independently at the humeral suture, close to Rs or fused with it and running towards the apex, Cu with many branches.

Worker

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

Distribution and locality

Mengla, Jinping, Yunnan (520 m), and also Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan and Tibet.

Taxonomic notes

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 16 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.