Rustitermes boteroi Constantini, Castro & Scheffrahn, 2020 博特罗拉斯特白蚁

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 enteric valve has 6 slightly asymmetrical pads, each forming a central pouch whose scales are smaller than those between the pads; each pad bears about 60–80 scales, broad at the base and narrow at the tip; the posterior part of each pad is truncate and bears 35–50 rectangular scales arranged from the middle towards the tip and becoming denser distally. It differs from Hydrecotermes, which has a similar gut coiling, in the worker fore tibia bearing coarse setae on the inner margin (absent in the latter). It differs from Aparatermes, whose enteric valve and gut may be similar, in the cuticle between the pads bearing cubical scales (absent in the latter); the enteric valve seat is not trilobed (trilobed in the latter); the enteric valve has no spinules or acute scales (present in the latter); and the posterior part of the pads bears scales (no scales posteriorly in the latter).

Alate

The fontanelle is indistinct in both sexes, the fontanellar region depressed, the median spot faintly visible. Apical tooth of the left inner mandible slightly larger than M1+2, M3 triangular with an obtuse lateral angle, the anterior molar process indistinct, the molar lobe process not concealed by the molar prominence. Head capsule dark brown with short, sparse setae; the frontal markings slightly paler than the rest of the head capsule, with indistinct boundaries. Pronotum nearly hexagonal, the anterior margin straight without a median notch, the lateral margins very straight and distinct, the surface sparsely covered with setae and short hairs. Tergites and sternites with short hairs. Fore coxa with 4–5 conspicuous long setae; the inner face of the fore tibia with 2 rows of 6–7 coarse setae each.

Worker

Monotypic; fontanelle small and round; postclypeus slightly inflated; head capsule with medium and long setae. Apical tooth of the left inner mandible more projecting than M1+2, M3 triangular with a right or acute lateral angle, the molar lobe process not concealed by the molar prominence. Long pronotal setae concentrated along the margins of the anterior and posterior lobes; tergites and sternites densely covered with long setae, mostly directed backwards or upwards. Fore coxa with 4–5 coarse setae; the inner face of the fore femur with long setae; fore tibia moderately inflated, the inner face with 2 rows of 6–7 coarse setae each. Enteric valve unarmed, with 6 pyriform pads of slightly different sizes, composed of larger fringed polygonal scales; the cuticle between the pads consists of still larger fringed cubical scales, densely arranged near P3.

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.