Psammotermes hybostoma 弯嘴沙白蚁
- Type locality
- Algeria: Biskra; Touggourt
- Distribution
- West Africa, Senegal to Northeast Africa, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Yemen
List： English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Psammotermes hybostoma is a species and the type species of the genus Psammotermes, in the family PSAMMOTERMITIDAE. The species was described by Desneux in 1902; the type locality is Algeria: Biskra; Touggourt. Distribution: West Africa, Senegal to Northeast Africa, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Yemen. This site records 2 junior synonyms for the species.
Etymology
Genus name Psammotermes: From Greek psammos (sand) + Latin termes.
Specific epithet hybostoma: Greek hybos (hump) + stoma (mouth), humped-mouthed
Taxonomic position
- Family: PSAMMOTERMITIDAE — 2 genera, 18 species
- Genus: Psammotermes — 6 species
Distribution
- Distribution records: West Africa, Senegal to Northeast Africa, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Yemen
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
Junior synonyms
This site records 2 junior synonyms for the species, listed by their original literature source:
- Termes fuscofemoralis Sjöstedt, 1904: 62-63 — type locality: (country unknown): “Rotes Meer”
- Psammotermes assuanensis Sjöstedt, 1912: 3-5 — type locality: Egypt: Aswân (Assuan)
In older literature, regional checklists and database searches, this species may appear under the synonyms above (Termes fuscofemoralis, Psammotermes assuanensis); this site treats them all under Psammotermes hybostoma.
Morphology
A species-level description from the original literature has not yet been compiled for this page. Original description: Desneux, 1902. See the genus page for the genus-level description; this page will be updated after the original text is checked.
Distribution map
Aggregated from GBIF occurrence records on a 1° grid; only extant taxa of this checklist are used, so fossil records are excluded. Dot size and shade show the number of records inside a cell.
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.
- Sex Pheromone and Trail Pheromone of the Sand Termite Psammotermes hybostoma
Abstract
- Fungi Associated with the Sand Termite Psammotermes Hypostoma in Assiut, Egypt
Abstract
- Chemistry and Anatomy of the Frontal Gland in Soldiers of the Sand Termite Psammotermes hybostoma
Abstract
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.
Literature notes
Edited notes based on the original literature, not transcriptions. The source markers in each paragraph point to archived records in .sources; full citations are listed below.
Caste system and adaptation to aridity
According to Bourguignon et al. (2012), the caste system of Psammotermes hybostoma is essentially linear, similar to that of the basal lineages then placed in Rhinotermitidae, but large wingless individuals diverge from it at a late stage; the main workforce consists of numerous pluripotent pseudergates.
These large wingless individuals cannot develop into alates, yet they store large amounts of fat and develop into large soldiers; they diverge late and take no part in the work of the colony, so they cannot be regarded as true workers of the kind found in Termitidae and the advanced groups, but are a new example of a sterile caste.
Following the classification of the time, the paper placed Psammotermes in Rhinotermitidae; in 2024 Hellemans et al. transferred it to Psammotermitidae, a change to note when citing the older paper.
References
- Bourguignon T., Šobotník J., Sillam-Dussès D., Jiroš P., Hanus R., Roisin Y., Miura T. Developmental Pathways of Psammotermes hybostoma (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): Old Pseudergates Make up a New Sterile Caste. PLoS ONE 7(9): e44527, 2012.
- Hellemans S., Rocha M. M., Wang M., et al. Genomic data provide insights into the classification of extant termites. 2024.
Other species in Psammotermes (5 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: Psammotermes hybostoma 弯嘴沙白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/psammotermes-hybostoma/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_psammotermes_hybostoma_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Psammotermes hybostoma: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/psammotermes-hybostoma/},
note = {PSAMMOTERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Psammotermes hybostoma: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/psammotermes-hybostoma/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -