Onkotermes corochus 瘤额倒钩白蚁
- Type locality
- Argentina: Chaco: Lapachito [ 27.1667S 59.4W ]
- Distribution
- Argentina, Paraguay
List: English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Onkotermes corochus is a species of the genus Onkotermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Microcerotermitinae). The species was described by Torales & Fontes in 2008; the type locality is Argentina: Chaco: Lapachito [ 27.1667S 59.4W ]. Distribution: Argentina, Paraguay.
Etymology
Genus name Onkotermes: From Greek onkos (bend, hook, barb) + Latin termes. Greek onkos also means “bulk, tumor”.
Specific epithet corochus: Etymology uncertain; likely from a South American indigenous language (corocho/corozo, a local name for palms/trees; the type locality Corrientes is Guaraní-speaking), not Greek or Latin. The Chinese name “” (tumored frons) is descriptive of the soldier’s frontal projection.
Taxonomic position
- Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
- Subfamily: Microcerotermitinae — 2 genera, 150 species
- Genus: Onkotermes — 2 species
- Type species of the genus: Onkotermes brevicorniger
Distribution
- Distribution records: Argentina, Paraguay
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
Morphology
A species-level description from the original literature has not yet been compiled for this page. Original description: Torales & Fontes, 2008. See the genus page for the genus-level description; this page will be updated after the original text is checked.
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.
- A reexamination of the systematic position of Amitermes brevicorniger, with the description of a new genus (Isoptera, Termitidae, Termitinae)
Abstract
The systematic position of the South American termite Amitermes brevicorniger is reexamined through the analysis of the morphology of soldiers, workers and digestive tube. The characters examined do not support its inclusion neither in genus Amitermes nor in Synhamitermes, and a new genus, Onkotermes, is described to accommodate this species. This species clearly belong to the Amitermes-group, but its affinities within this group are unclear. The species is redescribed and illustrated, with biological notes and new distribution records.
- DIFFUSE TERMITINAE NESTS SHED LIGHT ON THE AFFINITIES OF LAETOLICHNUS KWEKAI (KRAUSICHNIDAE)
Abstract
The insect trace fossil Laetolichnus kwekai, which is composed of a small chamber extending to slender cylinders at each end, was tentatively included in the ichnofamily Krausichnidae as termite nests. New evidence presented here provides information to validate these inferences. A more complex structure formed by interconnected Laetolichnus was recently found in the same Pliocene deposits (Laetoli, Tanzania) as the isolated specimens reported previously. Our study confirms inclusion of Laetolichnus in Krausichnidae and supports the inference that it represents a nest of a social insect. Neoichnological field studies in the coastal dunes of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, were undertaken to refine further the nature of these affinities. Survey of the dune surface revealed abundant loose fragments of termite nests of a size and shape comparable to that of L. kwekai. The fragile nests constructed by Onkotermes brevicorniger, which are described here in detail for the first time, enable us to interpret the fossil structures. They consist of connected chambers similar to the interconnected Laetolichnus. These were frequently exposed and broken by wind action resulting in loose fragments similar to the isolated Laetolichnus. The Celliforma ichnofacies represented at Laetoli, which contains L. kwekai, indicates arid or semiarid shrublands and woodlands. The distribution of O. brevicorniger also corresponds to arid and semiarid shrublands and dry woodlands of Argentina. Although the African termite producer of L. kwekai and the South American Onkotermes would be phylogenetically unrelated, the analogous structures probably reflect convergent nesting behaviors as an adaptation to similar arid to semiarid environmental conditions.
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 Onkotermes (1 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: Onkotermes corochus 瘤额倒钩白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/onkotermes-corochus/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_onkotermes_corochus_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Onkotermes corochus: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/onkotermes-corochus/},
note = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Onkotermes corochus: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/onkotermes-corochus/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -