Pericapritermes latignathus Holmgren, 1914 多毛近扭白蚁

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

Head reddish yellow, slightly paler at the posterior margin, the median line reddish brown; labrum white tinged with pale brown; mandibles brown; antennae pale brown; pronotum brownish yellow; legs and abdomen yellow. The head is almost hairless; the anterior margin of the labrum bears four long bristles and the middle another four short bristles; two bristles arise on the postmentum near its anterior margin; a few hairs are scattered over the pronotum, with short bristles on its periphery; the abdomen is densely covered with soft hairs, each tergite bearing both minute hairs and long bristles. Head rectangular, slightly narrower anteriorly, the posterior margin slightly convex, the fontanelle small and dot-like; the median suture extends slightly behind the fontanelle. Labrum broader than long, the anterior margin nearly straight, the anterolateral corners elongate and slightly convex. The left mandible is strongly twisted in the middle with a blunt apex; the right mandible is sabre-like with a sharp apex. Postmentum elongate, the sides of the middle almost parallel, widest at the terminal quarter. Pronotum saddle-shaped, both the anterior and the posterior margin slightly convex, the median notches indistinct. Tibial spur formula 3:2:2, tarsi four-segmented.

Alate

Head deep reddish brown, the postclypeus yellowish brown, the antennae, pronotum and abdominal tergites brown, the femora dull yellow, the tibiae and wings brown. The whole body densely covered with hairs, and short hairs also occur on the wing surface. Head broadly oval, almost circular, the dorsum arched. Fontanelle white, elliptical and depressed, situated at the midpoint of the dorsum of the head, similar in size to the compound eye. Ocelli elliptical, their distance from the compound eye about equal to the length or width of one ocellus. Postclypeus raised, less than half as long as wide, the anterior margin straight, the posterior margin deeply curved towards the frons, the median longitudinal suture often indistinct. Antennae with 15 segments, segments 3 and 4 both shorter than segment 2; or with 14 segments, segment 3 equal to segment 2 and segment 4 the shortest. The anterior margin of the pronotum is straight, without a median notch or with only a very slight one, the anterolateral corners slightly projecting forwards, the middle of the posterior margin concave forwards. The forewing scale is larger than the hindwing scale; the media of the forewing arises independently at the shoulder suture and lies close to the cubitus, dividing from the midpoint or from one-third towards the wing apex into three to six small branches, the cubitus having six to ten branches; the media of the hindwing arises from the base of the radial sector and branches slightly more anteriorly.

Worker

The posterior part of the head is rounded and the anterior end expanded, the widest point at the antennal sockets. The postclypeus is markedly raised, about half as long as wide, its median longitudinal suture indistinct, its colour the same as the vertex. Antennae with 14 segments, segments 3 and 4 the shortest, segment 4 shorter than segment 3. The upturned anterior part of the pronotum is larger than the posterior part. The abdomen is swollen and olive-shaped.

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

It lives in the soil; the nest consists of many small earthen cavities connected by tunnels, and the royal cell is also an earthen cavity, situated approximately at the centre of the group of cavities; it feeds on decaying tree stumps and rotten grass.

Distribution and locality

Jinghong and Xiaomenglun, Yunnan; Nanxiong and Yingde, Guangdong; abroad it is found in Bangladesh.

Taxonomic notes

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 376 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.