Reticulitermes hunanensis Tsai & Peng, 1980 湖南散白蚁

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 pale yellowish brown, mandibles reddish brown, the pilosity of the head capsule sparse. The head capsule is rectangular, the head width index 0.57–0.59, the sides nearly parallel and slightly narrowing posteriorly, the posterior margin slightly projecting. The frontal region is slightly raised, the interfrontal area slightly concave. The labrum is sharply spear-shaped, the semi-transparent apical region projecting narrowly at an acute angle, the apical hairs present, the subapical hairs minute, the lateral-apical hairs absent. The mandibles are long and strong, the apices stout and short and slightly curved; the mandibular length 0.59 times the head capsule length and 0.93 times the head width. Antennae with 16 segments. The broad region of the postmentum lies at about the anterior one-sixth, the anterolateral margins trapezoidal and expanding posteriorly, the waist region slender and long with the sides parallel, the waist constriction index 0.28. The pronotum is nearly kidney-shaped, about 1.77 times as wide as long, the median notches of the anterior and posterior margins rather shallow, the lateral margins abruptly narrowing posteriorly, with about six hairs in the middle region.

Alate

Head capsule pale blackish brown, the pronotum blackish brown at the periphery and concolorous with the head in the middle; the postmentum and femoral segments concolorous with the head capsule; the labrum, postclypeus, antennae and antennal spots brown; the tibiae greyish yellow, the wings brown. The head capsule is nearly circular, the fontanelle dot-like, 0.48 mm from the anterior frontal margin. The compound eyes are nearly circular, the projection rate 8 per cent, their short diameter greater than the distance from the compound eye to the lower margin of the head. The ocelli are nearly circular, their distance from the compound eye about equal to their short diameter. The vertex arches like a mound, the postclypeus almost not projecting, lower than the vertex and about level with the ocelli. Antennae with 17 segments. The pronotum is trapezoidal, about 1.43 times as wide as long, the middle of the anterior margin shallowly concave, the middle of the posterior margin rather deeply incised. The forewing 6.90 mm long and 1.95 mm wide; the hindwing 6.75 mm long and 1.92 mm wide, the cubitus with about eight branches.

Worker

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

Distribution and locality

Mangshan, Yizhang, Hunan.

Taxonomic notes

The original work also includes a separate entry for Tsaitermes hunanensis; this entry records only the morphological content of the genus Reticulitermes, and the two must not be confused.

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 122 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.