Sinonasutitermes erectinasus Tsai & Chen, 1963 翘鼻华象白蚁

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 and antennae dark reddish brown, the anterior part of the nasus darker, thorax and abdomen pale yellow. Head almost bare; the dorsum of the abdomen covered with minute hairs, the ventral hairs longer, the posterior margins of the tergites and sternites of each segment bearing a row of erect long hairs. Large form: head like a transversely placed ellipse, widest behind the mid-point, the posterior part broadly rounded; nasus conical with a stout base, the line between nasus and top of head distinctly curved, the angle with the clypeus greater than 90° and upturned; the anterior lateral end of the mandible bears a spine. Antennae 13 segments, the second and fourth equal in length, the third longer, the fifth slightly longer than the fourth. Anterior and posterior parts of the pronotum meeting at a right angle, the middle of the anterior margin slightly concave. Small form: colour and pilosity as in the large form, but the head hairs fewer; head nearly circular, the nasus not markedly upturned, the angle with the clypeus still greater than 90°, the anterior outer end of the mandible with a sharp spine; antennae 12 segments, the third equal to the second or 1.5 times it; the middle of the anterior margin of the pronotum not concave.

Alate

Head dark reddish brown, pronotum yellowish brown, the middle of the sternites pale yellow, legs yellow, wings pale yellowish brown. Compound eyes elongate-oval and projecting outwards, ocelli elliptical, the distance to the compound eye smaller than the ocellus width. Postclypeus not raised, about four times as wide as long, the anterior and posterior margins straight and slightly arched; the front of the labrum rounded, without a pale transverse band in the middle; fontanelle between the two compound eyes, with a pale Y-shaped mark. Antennae 15 segments, the second to fifth nearly equal in length. Anterior margin of the pronotum nearly straight, slightly raised in the middle, the posterior margin rather narrow and with a central incision. Forewing scale larger than the hindwing scale; the media of the forewing arising independently at the humeral suture, with or without branches, the distance between the media and the cubitus smaller than that between the media and the radial sector, the cubitus with ten branches; the media of the hindwing arising from the radial sector, the remaining venation as in the forewing. Wing hairs short and small.

Worker

Head yellow with a pale T-shaped head suture, thorax and abdomen white. Head between circular and square, the sides parallel, slightly contracted behind, the posterior margin arched, the vertex flat. Postclypeus raised, less than half as long as wide. Fontanelle exactly behind the junction of the T-shaped suture, a small circular pit. Antennae 14 segments, the second and third equal in length, the fourth rather short. Anterior part of the pronotum erect, the anterior and posterior parts equal in size, the middle of the anterior margin with an incision. Small form paler, head shape as in the large form, the T-shaped suture indistinct, the anterior margin of the pronotum without an incision.

Nymph

Abstract (from the source)

Biology

Distribution and locality

Donghui, Hainan, and Hunan.

Taxonomic notes

Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 442 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.