Reticulitermes cymbidii Ping & Xu, 1993 幽兰散白蚁

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

The head capsule is rectangular, the head width index 0.59–0.64, the sides parallel, the middle of the posterior margin straight. The frontal ridge is raised, the interfrontal area somewhat flat. The labrum is spear-shaped, the apex narrow and rounded, both the apical and subapical hairs present. The apices of the mandibles are rather strongly curved, their length 0.55–0.59 of the head capsule length and 0.90–0.95 of the head width. Antennae with 15–16 segments. The broad region of the postmentum lies at the anterior quarter, the anterolateral margins trapezoidal, the waist region slightly broad with the sides in a broad arc, the waist constriction index 0.38–0.43. The pronotum is nearly kidney-shaped, 1.45–1.58 times as wide as long, the anterior margin appearing to be formed by two broad intersecting arcs, the median notch distinct, the lateral margins joining the posterior margin in an arc and shallowly concave at the middle, with about thirty long hairs in the middle region.

Alate

Head capsule blackish brown, the postmentum and femoral segments pale blackish brown, the pronotum and tibiae greyish yellow, the labrum and postclypeus paler than the head capsule, the wings greyish brown. The head capsule is nearly circular, the anterolateral corners nearly square, the fontanelle dot-like, about 0.48 mm from the anterior frontal margin. The compound eyes are roundly triangular, the projection rate 2–6 per cent, the short diameter greater than or equal to the distance from the compound eye to the lower margin of the head. The ocelli are nearly circular, the ocellus-compound eye distance almost equal to the short diameter of the ocellus. The dorsal margin of the head is slightly arched, sloping backwards from the vertex, the postclypeus almost not projecting, slightly lower than the vertex and slightly higher than the ocelli. Antennae with 17 segments. The pronotum is about 1.46–1.53 times as wide as long, the anterior margin nearly straight with the middle slightly notched, the middle of the posterior margin moderately notched. The forewing 7.19–8.45 mm long and 1.91–1.98 mm wide, the hindwing 7.04–7.50 mm long and 1.84 mm wide, the cubitus with about ten to eleven branches each.

Worker

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

The specimens were obtained beneath the roots of Cymbidium faberi.

Distribution and locality

Yingshan, Hubei.

Taxonomic notes

The genus name is defective in the original work, printed as Reticuliter mes; it is in fact the genus Reticulitermes, the same genus name as currently used on this site.

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 164 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.