Sinqasapatermes sachae Cuezzo & Nickle, 2011 森林鼻大白蚁

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 distal margin of the enteric valve (P2) is not folded into the paunch (P3) but bends towards the ileum (P1), i.e. against the direction of food flow; the armature consists of a ring of 6 equal, nearly triangular ridges, each densely covered with short spines; the armature lies on the outer surface of the cone, facing the inner wall of P1; the valve seating is trilobed and separated from the rest of P3; P3 is subdivided.

Soldier

Monotypic. In dorsal view the head capsule is constricted behind the antennal bases, the greatest width lying behind the constriction, at the middle of the posterior lobe; in profile the vertex is nearly straight to the base of the nasus, and the base of the nasus is weakly concave. The nasus is narrow and conical (dorsal view), about as long as the head capsule, and slightly inclined upwards in profile. The mandibles are reduced and lack a point. The postclypeus is moderately arched in profile. The labrum is wider than long with rounded anterolateral corners. There are 11 antennal segments. The pronotum is shallowly saddle-shaped with a rounded, non-concave anterior margin. Tibial spur formula 2:2:2.

Worker

In dorsal view the head capsule is trapezoidal, with the greatest width at the mandibular bases; the fontanelle area is concave and lies in the posterior third of the head capsule. The postclypeus is short and moderately inflated, with a weak median line. There are 12 antennal segments. The pronotum is shallowly saddle-shaped with a rounded, non-concave anterior margin. Tibial spur formula 2:2:2. On the left mandible the apical tooth is as large as M1+2 or slightly more prominent, and its posterior margin is weakly concave or truncate; the posterior margin of the apical tooth forms a right or acute angle with the anterior margin of M1+2; the posterior margin of M1+2 is straight or slightly curved; marginal tooth 3 is reduced to a vestige; the molar tooth is visible in the V-shaped gap but its apex is hidden by the molar prominence; the ridges of the molar prominence are very weak. On the right mandible the apical tooth is slightly more prominent than marginal tooth 1, and marginal tooth 2 is invisible or reduced to a minute projection; the molar plate is concave with very weak ridges; the basal notch is distinct. Digestive tract: the gut forms a short, wide coil within the body; the crop is large; the gizzard has a strong muscular layer; the midgut passes along the right side of the body and does not reach the midline in ventral view; the midgut–proctodeum junction is circular, with no mixed segment; the bases of the Malpighian tubules are slightly dilated into ampullae, arranged in adjacent pairs and attached to the inner surface of the junction by a common base; P1 is tubular and shorter than the midgut; P2 lies beneath P1 and is conical, its distal margin bending against the food flow as described under the diagnostic characters; P2 is coaxial with P3; the valve seating is trilobed and separated from the rest of P3 by a constriction; the distal end of P3 is very prominent in dorsal view and joins P4 on the left side; the isthmus is distinct.

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.