Roisinitermes ebogoensis Scheffrahn, 2018 埃博戈罗伊辛白蚁

Morphology

The description below is paraphrased from the original or a later revision, by caste; the source is cited at the end.

Diagnostic characters

The only genus in the Kalotermitidae with snapping mandibles: the soldier mandibles are slender rods with a very weak dentition; the alate has no visible ocelli, also unique in the family. In Krishna's (1961) generic key the alate runs to couplet 2 (Epicalotermes) and the soldier to couplet 17 (Allotermes). The soldier mandibles somewhat resemble the slender, nearly edentate mandibles of Allotermes (especially A. denticulatus), but in this genus the mandibles curve downwards in lateral view, which is unique among kalotermitids with projecting mandibles; although the alate wing venation and dentition are very close to those of Epicalotermes, the soldier shares no major character with that genus.

Alate

Head and pronotum pale brownish orange, the abdominal tergites paler, concolorous with the legs and labrum; postclypeus almost transparent. Compound eyes medium-sized and projecting, oval, truncate near the antennal socket, composed of about 85 ommatidia; ocelli neither pigmented nor with a cuticular prominence, entirely invisible. Antennal segments more than 9, the segment pattern 1>2=3=4<5 (14–17 segments recorded at species level). Pronotum about twice as wide as its median length, the lateral margins with several long setae and shorter setae. Forewing M and Cu stalked beyond the scale suture, the radial sector (Rs) with 5–6 anterior branches, the subcosta (Sc) closely applied to the anterior margin and difficult to distinguish; hindwing Rs and Cu stalked behind the suture. Tibial spur formula 3:3:3, tarsi without an arolium. The anterior margin of the marginal tooth of the left mandible is about 1.5 times the combined length of its posterior margin and the posterior margin of marginal tooth 2; the posterior margin of marginal tooth 2 of the right mandible is 1.4 times the length of the molar plate.

Soldier

Monotypic. Eye spot distinct, large and dark brown. Frons bilobed in dorsal view, covered with wrinkled longitudinal ridges, the ridges below the frons arranged longitudinally; the ventral cheeks end in a small angular projection. Mandibles slender rods, curved downwards in lateral view; dentition very weak, the basal swelling sharply projecting forwards.

This genus is monotypic, containing only this species; the following is the genus-level description based on the original literature; species-level measurements and intraspecific variation are given in the original.