Reticulitermes gulinensis Gao, Pan, Ma & Shi, 1982 古蔺散白蚁

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

Head yellowish brown, mandibles purplish brown, the pilosity of the head capsule moderate. The head capsule is rectangular, the head width index 0.55–0.57, the lateral margins parallel, the posterior margin almost a straight line. The frontal ridge is markedly elevated, concave between the two ridges. The labrum is lingulate, the apex slightly rounded, the apical, subapical and lateral-apical hairs all well developed. The mandibles are stout and powerful, their apices sharply curved into a hook, the mandibular condyle clear, their length 0.9–0.94 times the head width. Antennae with 17–18 segments. The broadest region of the postmentum falls in front of the anterior one-fifth, the anterolateral margin of the broad region first parallel and then expanding outwards, the waist region rather long with the sides parallel, the waist constriction index 0.3–0.33. The pronotum is about 1.56 times as wide as long, the V-shaped notch at the middle of the anterior margin rather deep, the notch at the middle of the posterior margin distinct, with about fifty hairs in the middle region.

Alate

The head capsule is brown tinged with black, the labrum, postclypeus and antennae chestnut brown, the pronotum, postmentum and tibiae dull yellow, the femoral segments pale brown. The outline of the head capsule is nearly circular, the fontanelle a small dot, 0.59 mm from the anterior frontal margin. In lateral view the dorsal margin of the head is arched, the postclypeus projecting, its height exceeding the ocelli but below the vertex. The compound eyes are nearly circular, the projection rate 5–7 per cent, the short diameter slightly greater than the distance from the compound eye to the lower margin of the head. The ocelli are nearly circular, the radius almost equal to the ocellus-compound eye distance. Antennae with 18–19 segments. The pronotum is 1.43–1.47 times as wide as long, the anterior and posterior margins nearly straight, each with a distinct median notch. The forewing 9.66–9.95 mm long and 2.45–2.58 mm wide; the hindwing 9.18 mm long and 2.53 mm wide; the Cu vein with more than ten branches.

Worker

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

Distribution and locality

Gulin, Sichuan.

Taxonomic notes

The genus name is printed in the original work as Reticuliter mes, a misspelling of Reticulitermes; it is now assigned to the genus Reticulitermes.

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 174 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.