Microcerotermes marilimbus 海角锯白蚁
- Type locality
- China: Hainan Island: Wanning
- Distribution
- Hainan (Wanning, Ledong)
List: English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Microcerotermes marilimbus is a species of the genus Microcerotermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Microcerotermitinae). The species was described by Ping & Xu in 1984; the type locality is China: Hainan Island: Wanning. Distribution: Hainan (Wanning, Ledong).
Etymology
Genus name Microcerotermes: From Greek mikros (small) + keras (horn) + Latin termes.
Specific epithet marilimbus: Latin mare (sea) + limbus (border)
Taxonomic position
- Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
- Subfamily: Microcerotermitinae — 2 genera, 150 species
- Genus: Microcerotermes — 148 species
- Type species of the genus: Microcerotermes strunckii
Distribution
- Distribution records: Hainan (Wanning, Ledong)
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 capsule yellowish brown tinged with red, the frontal region slightly darker; antennae yellow; pronotum pale yellow, abdomen paler. A few long hairs borne on the head capsule. Head capsule rectangular, the sides parallel, the posterior margin rather straight; frontal angles visible, the dorsal margin of the head nearly flat. Antennae with 13 segments, segment 3 shortest, segment 2 longer than segment 3. Labrum parallel-sided, the anterior margin straight or slightly narrowed forwards, with three pairs of short setae. Mandibles sickle-shaped, stout and rather curved; the serrations of the inner margin finer in front of the mandibular base and becoming indistinct towards the apex, the re-entrant of the outer margin at the base rather shallow; the middle of the postmentum distinctly projecting in lateral view, the waist region at the posterior third; pronotum saddle-shaped, the anterior margin slightly incised, the posterior margin almost straight. Small soldier compared with the large one: mandibles slender and slightly straighter, with a coarse tooth on the inner margin near the basal third, mandible length 0.72 to 0.83 mm, against 0.62 to 0.71 mm in the large form; the middle of the postmentum flatter, head height 0.82 to 0.85 mm, against 0.89 to 1.02 mm in the large form.
Alate
Body uniformly dark brown, head capsule darker, postclypeus dark brown or paler, the pale yellow stripe between the ocelli indistinct, pronotum with a pale T marking; legs yellowish brown. Body length with wings 8.52 to 9.63 mm, body length 5.68 to 6.60 mm. Head capsule elliptical, slightly longer than wide, length 0.85 to 0.92 mm, width 0.80 to 0.85 mm; fontanelle small, Y suture indistinct. Antennae with 14 segments, segment 3 shortest, segment 2 twice segment 3. Eye projection rate 14 per cent, the distance to the ventral margin of the head about a little more than half its long diameter. Ocelli oval, about 0.07 mm long, their distance to the compound eyes almost equal to their long diameter. Postclypeus slightly arched, the median line dark, median length 0.25 to 0.27 mm. Pronotum trapezoidal, length 0.43 to 0.48 mm, width 0.71 to 0.76 mm, the anterior margin slightly tilted up, the posterior margin distinctly concave in the middle. Hind tibia 0.95 to 1.02 mm long.
Worker
Nymph
Abstract (from the source)
The soldier has a yellowish brown head tinged with red, a darker frons and a pale yellow pronotum. The capsule is rectangular with parallel sides, visible frontal angles and a nearly straight dorsal profile; antennae have 13 segments, the third shortest. Mandibles are stout, curved sickles with fine serrations and shallow basal notches. Minor soldiers differ from majors in their slender, straighter mandibles with a coarse tooth near the basal third, shorter mandibles and flatter postmentum. Alates are dark brown with pale T-shaped pronotal markings and 14-segmented antennae.
Biology
Distribution and locality
Wanning and Ledong, Hainan.
Taxonomic notes
Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 253 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.
- Queen replacement in the termite Microcerotermes papuanus
Abstract
In experimentally orphaned field nests of Microcerotermes papuanus Holmgren, 1911, large numbers of workers develop into replacement reproductives (ergatoids) in only one moult. The females become functional egg‐layers after approximately two months. Nymphs normally reach the last instars in August‐September; at that time, in the orphaned nests, some nymphs moult to nymphoid replacement reproductives. Over long time periods, these nymphoids completely replace the ergatoids and the females become physogastric. Although time‐efficient, queen replacement seems energetically expensive for the society, suggesting that this process is under weak selective pressure in M. papuanus, compared with sympatric species such as Nasutitermes princeps. Résumé Le remplacement de la reine chez le termite Microcerotermes papuanus Dans les nids de M. papuanus rendus expérimentalement orphelins, un grand nombre d'ouvriers se transforment, en une seule mue, en sexués de remplacement ergatoïdes. Les femelles se mettent à pondre au bout d'environ deux mois. Les nymphes atteignent normalement leurs derniers stades en août‐septembre. A ce moment, dans les nids orphelins, ccrtaines d'entre elles se différencient en sexués nymphoïdes. Dans les expériences de longue durée, ces nymphoïdes remplacent complètement les ergatoïdes et les femelles dcviennent physogastres. Bien que rapide, le remplacement de la reine paraît coûteux pour la société du fait du grand nombre d'individus, ouvriers el nymphes, impliqués. Ceci suggère que la pression de sélection sur ce phénomène est faible chez M. papuanus, par comparaison avec des espèces sympatriques telles que N. princeps.
- 2. Microcerotermes sp. Typical nest structure
Abstract
Microcerotermes sp. Typical nest structure. Infopage illustrating a nest structure as observed after lifting a stone. The image also illustrates the queen and a few workers.
- Nest-mate recognition based on heritable odors in the termite Microcerotermes arboreus.
Abstract
Workers of the Neotropical termite Microcerotermes arboreus distinguish nest mates from other conspecifics by odor. A controlled breeding experiment demonstrated a genetic component to variation in colony odors. Workers were less aggressive toward unfamiliar relatives than toward nonrelatives and distinguished degree of relatedness among unfamiliar workers. Unfamiliar relatives were attacked more often than nest mates, despite similar levels of genetic relatedness; thus, nest-mate recognition is not based solely upon heritable characteristics of individual workers. No difference was detected between the effects of cues inherited through the mother and cues inherited through the father.
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 Microcerotermes (147 species)
- Microcerotermes acerbus
- Microcerotermes algoasinensis
- Microcerotermes amboinensis
- Microcerotermes annandalei
- Microcerotermes apricitatis
- Microcerotermes arboreus
- Microcerotermes baluchistanicus
- Microcerotermes barbertoni
- Microcerotermes beesoni
- Microcerotermes bequaertianus
- Microcerotermes biroi
- Microcerotermes biswanathae
- Microcerotermes boreus
- Microcerotermes bouilloni
- Microcerotermes bouvieri
- Microcerotermes brachygnathus
- Microcerotermes brevior
- Microcerotermes buettikeri
- Microcerotermes bugnioni
- Microcerotermes cachani
- Microcerotermes cameroni
- Microcerotermes cavus
- Microcerotermes celebensis
- Microcerotermes chaudhryi
- Microcerotermes chhotanii
- Microcerotermes choanensis
- Microcerotermes collinsi
- Microcerotermes crassus
- Microcerotermes cupreiceps
- Microcerotermes cylindriceps
- Microcerotermes dammermani
- Microcerotermes danieli
- Microcerotermes dashlibronensis
- Microcerotermes debilicornis
- Microcerotermes depokensis
- Microcerotermes distans
- Microcerotermes distinctus
- Microcerotermes diversus
- Microcerotermes dolichocephalicus
- Microcerotermes dolichognathus
147 species in this genus. See all species on the genus page →
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: Microcerotermes marilimbus 海角锯白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/microcerotermes-marilimbus/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_microcerotermes_marilimbus_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Microcerotermes marilimbus: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/microcerotermes-marilimbus/},
note = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Microcerotermes marilimbus: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/microcerotermes-marilimbus/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -