Glyptotermes simaoensis Li, 1987 思茅树白蚁

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 yellowish brown, paler and slightly orange-yellow behind, the frons darker brownish, mandibles blackish brown with reddish brown bases, labrum, antennae and pronotum yellow. The head capsule sparsely haired, the anterior margin of the labrum with eight to ten hairs, the periphery of the pronotum with sparse bristles. Head capsule rectangular, the sides of the middle and posterior sections nearly parallel, the anterior part slightly contracted from the antennal sockets to the mandibular base, the posterior margin rather straight; the junction of the frons and the vertex forming a broad Y-shaped elevation with a shallow median groove, the transverse ridge slightly raised, the Y-shaped suture faintly discernible. The first marginal tooth of the left mandible close to and larger than the second, the inner margin of the right mandible with two marginal teeth, the first larger than the second. Antennae with 11 segments, the third or fourth shorter. The postmentum widest at the anterior third, where it may be more than twice the narrowest part. The pronotum almost as wide as the head capsule, the anterior margin with a broad shallow concavity, the posterior margin rather straight, neither margin with a median notch.

Alate

Alate head brownish, thoracic and abdominal tergites reddish brown, labrum, antennae and legs yellow. The head capsule sparsely haired, the pronotum with sparse bristles and short hairs, the abdominal tergites also with only sparse long and short hairs. Head nearly circular, the Y-shaped suture faintly visible, the antennal spots extremely indistinct; compound eyes oval and projecting, their short diameter slightly greater than the distance to the lower margin of the head capsule; ocelli small, oval, slightly raised, separate from the compound eyes but very close to them. Antennae with 12 segments, the second to fourth almost equal in length. The anterior margin of the pronotum broadly and shallowly concave, the posterior margin rather straight, neither margin with a median notch. Wings narrow and long, the wing membrane scattered with many slightly raised small brown spots; the media of the forewing strongly sclerotised, arising independently from the basal suture, close to and parallel with the radius sector, both unbranched, the cubitus not sclerotised, four branches at the base rather distinct and the rest blurred; the media of the hindwing also strongly sclerotised, fusing with the radius sector at about one-eighth from the wing base and thereafter parallel with the radius sector without branching, the cubitus not sclerotised, four to five branches at the base fairly clear and the rest indistinct.

Worker

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

Distribution and locality

Simao, Yunnan.

Taxonomic notes

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 41 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.