Extant Isoptera (Termites) — Latin–Chinese Name Comparison List 现存等翅下目(白蚁)拉丁学名—中文正名对照名录

Latin names · Chinese names · bilingual checklist — 13 families · 18 subfamilies · 326 genera · 3021 species · 68 subspecies

Odontotermes sellathorax Xia & Fan, 1982 鞍胸土白蚁

Species

Type locality
China: Sichuan Province: Bishan
Distribution
Sichuan (Bishan), China

List: English (genus page) · 中文 · Español

Summary

Odontotermes sellathorax is a species of the genus Odontotermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Macrotermitinae). The species was described by Xia & Fan in 1982; the type locality is China: Sichuan Province: Bishan. Distribution: Sichuan (Bishan), China.

Etymology

Genus name Odontotermes: From Greek odous (tooth) + Latin termes.

Specific epithet sellathorax: Latin sella (saddle) + thorax (thorax), saddle-thoraxed

Taxonomic position

  • Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
  • Subfamily: Macrotermitinae — 12 genera, 373 species
  • Genus: Odontotermes — 198 species
  • Type species of the genus: Odontotermes vulgaris

Distribution

  • Distribution records: Sichuan (Bishan), China

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

Body small; head dull yellow, the labrum and postmentum slightly darker and pale brown, the mandibles reddish brown and paler in the basal third, the thorax, abdomen and appendages pale yellow. Setae on the head few, almost without fine hairs; the clypeus with only one pair of setae; the apical setae and the subapical setae of the labrum markedly long, the subapical setae well developed. Head nearly rectangular, the sides rather parallel, the posterior corners broadly rounded, the posterior margin arcuate, widest near the middle. Labrum elongate-lingulate, the apex broadly rounded, the lateral margins nearly parallel. Mandibles sabre-shaped, the apices slightly incurved; the tooth of the left mandible at one-third from the apex, its apex forwards, with a minute tooth in the basal notch; the right mandibular tooth very small, with another small tooth near the base. Postmentum elongate, about twice as long as wide, the sides of the posterior part almost parallel or slightly arched. Antennae with 15 segments, segment 3 the smallest, segment 5 slightly larger than segment 3. The anterior margin of the pronotum is deeply incised at the two muscle scars, the width between the two scars being less than the length of the median axis, and both the anterior and the posterior margin are distinctly concave at the middle.

Alate

Worker

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

A small species. The soldier head is dull yellow and nearly rectangular, with a long lingulate labrum whose length falls short of the left mandibular tooth. Mandibles are sabre-like, the left with a tooth at the apical third and a minute one in the basal notch, the right with a very small tooth near its base. Antennae have 15 segments, the second 1.5 times the third. The pronotum is deeply incised at the muscle spots, so the gap between them is shorter than the mid-axis.

Biology

Distribution and locality

Bishan, Sichuan.

Taxonomic notes

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 275 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.

Other databases

The links below are produced by matching the scientific name against public APIs, for cross-checking. The checklist data itself is unchanged.

✔ Consistent with the accepted names in GBIF and Catalogue of Life.

Sources:GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · Catalogue of Life (3LR, 2026-10-14 · doi:10.48580/dgzh4) · Wikidata (P225) · Blattodea Species File. Retrieved on 2026-11-13 (UTC). Matching method and decision rules are described on the data page.

Found a naming or distribution problem? Report an error →

Records follow the original literature; please attach an evidence link.

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.

  1. BIONOMICS OF ODONTOTERMES HAINANENSIS (LIGHT)

    Hi G · 1988 · Acta Entomologica Sinica

    Abstract

    Odontotermes hainanensis (Light) is an important insect pest damaging the dikes of reservoirs in South China. The present paper deals with the morphologies of the castes, behaviour during cultivation of the primary colonies in the laboratory and the activities of dispersal flight, foraging and nest building in the field.

  2. Termites of the Genus Odontotermes are Optionally Keratophagous

    Bernd P. Freymann, Sara N. de Visser, Emilian P. Mayemba, Han Olff · 2007 · University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology)

    Abstract

    In this study we tested experimentally whether the consumption of mammalian hooves by termites of the genus Odontotermes is a mere incidental, previously overlooked event, or whether higher termites frequently exploit hooves of ungulates as a supplementary food source. The experiment was conducted in the open woodland savanna region of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. In total, 88 hooves of wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and zebra (Equus burchelli) – of two age classes – were offered to the termites in the field. After five days, 18.3% of old and 15.0% of fresh wildebeest hooves and 16.7% of old zebra hooves were utilized by termites as a food source. Accordingly, we report here for the first time a systematic, frequent necrophorous foraging behavior of termites in general, which also adds termites to the very short list of potential decomposers of mammalian hooves. Termites of the genus Odontotermes seem not to show a preference for a specific age class of the provided wildebeest hooves. Our results suggest that ungulate hooves represent a spatially and temporarily highly variable, potentially macro- and micronutrient-rich, supplementary food source for higher termites in this savanna ecosystem. Termites of the genus Odontotermes might accordingly be considered as being not only decomposers, but also optional necrophores, i.e. being keratophagous. Members of this genus might play an important role in the decomposition of mammalian hooves in African savannas.

  3. Xylaria species associated with nests of Odontotermes formosanus in Taiwan

    Yu‐Ming Ju, Huei‐Mei Hsieh · 2007 · Mycologia

    Abstract

    Nine species of Xylaria were collected in Taiwan from nests of Odontotermes formosanus, the only known macrotermitine termite in Taiwan. These include six newly described species, X. acuminatilongissima, X. atrodivaricata, X. brunneovinosa, X. griseosepiacea, X. intraflava and X. ochraceostroma, and three previously known species, X. cirrata, X. escharoidea and X. nigripes. We obtained cultures and ITS sequences from the nine species found in Taiwan and describe anamorphs for eight of them. Before the current study teleomorphanamorph connections in the Xylaria species associated with termite nests have been established unequivocally in X. escharoidea only. Xylaria angulosa, X. fimbriata, X. kedahae, X. micrura, X. radicans, X. reinkingii and X. tolosa also are considered and annotated because they were reported to grow on ground and likely are associated with termite nests. Epitypifications are made for X. cirrata, X. escharoidea and X. nigripes. Xylaria sanchezii is considered a nomen dubium. Photographs are presented for most of the aforementioned species. A dichotomous key to 25 Xylaria species growing on termite nests or ground also is given.

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 Odontotermes (197 species)

197 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: Odontotermes sellathorax 鞍胸土白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/odontotermes-sellathorax/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.

BibTeX

@misc{isoptera_odontotermes_sellathorax_2026,
  author       = {班奈特格林},
  title        = {Odontotermes sellathorax: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
  year         = {2026},
  version      = {2026.10.30},
  howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/odontotermes-sellathorax/},
  note         = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}

RIS

TY  - ELEC
TI  - Odontotermes sellathorax: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)
AU  - 班奈特格林
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/odontotermes-sellathorax/
DO  - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836
ER  -