Tucupitermes ubixaba 乌比沙巴黄汁白蚁
- Type locality
- Brasil: Pará: Santarém [ 2.43917S 54.705W ]
- Distribution
- Brazil
List： English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Tucupitermes ubixaba is the only extant species of the genus Tucupitermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Apicotermitinae). The species was described by Almeida-Azevedo, Acioli & Azevedo in 2025; the type locality is Brasil: Pará: Santarém [ 2.43917S 54.705W ]. Distribution: Brazil.
Etymology
Genus name Tucupitermes: From the place name Tucupi; -termes from Latin termes.
Specific epithet ubixaba: From the Tupi word ubixaba ‘chief, leader’.
Taxonomic position
- Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
- Subfamily: Apicotermitinae — 68 genera, 241 species
- Genus: Tucupitermes — monotypic, 1 species
Distribution
- Distribution records: Brazil
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
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 cutting edge of the left mandible is twice as long as the distance from the apical tooth to M1+2; the stomodeal valve is twice as long as the crop; the Malpighian ampullae are well developed and visible both in right ventral and in dorsal view; the mesenteric tongue is long and slightly bulbous, reaching the midline of the abdomen; the junction of P1 and P3 is invisible in any view, only a small bilobed seating being visible. This is the largest species currently known in the subfamily (the title of the paper itself refers to the largest Apicotermitinae).
Worker
The head capsule is deep yellow with dark longitudinal muscle marks converging towards the vertex; the fontanelle is white, convex and drop-shaped. The head capsule bears few setae of unequal size and none in the posterior region; the postclypeus is small and slightly inflated, with setae as large as those of the head capsule; the labrum is convex, longer than the postclypeus and clypeus together, with relatively thick setae. There are 13 antennal segments, I 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.
Distribution map
No GBIF record with coordinates was found for this species.
Related papers
Cached papers for this genus (matched automatically, for reference); to search this species with its junior synonyms merged in, use the literature search.
- Tucupitermes, the largest Apicotermitinae (Isoptera, Termitidae) from the Amazon Rainforest
Abstract
Soldierless termites of the Apicotermitinae remain one of the least studied groups in termite taxonomy, particularly within the Amazon Rainforest, a biodiversity hotspot. This study introduces Tucupitermes ubixaba Almeida-Azevedo, Acioli & Azevedo gen. et sp. nov., the largest Apicotermitinae in the Amazon Rainforest and a new monotypic genus distinguished by unique morphological traits, including an elongated stomodeal valve, Malpighian ampullae developed, a long mesenteric tongue, and small bilobed seating. These features were documented through detailed analyses of the external and internal morphology of the worker caste. The discovery of this genus not only fills a critical gap in the taxonomy of Apicotermitinae but also provides new insights into the diversity and ecological adaptations of soldierless termites in the Amazon.
Papers on this species, synonyms included → OpenAlex Google Scholar CNKI
Abstracts come from open metadata; copyright remains with the original authors/publishers. For reference only — please check the original.
Cite this species
Citation strings are generated from the fields of this page; please keep the DOI and the version number when citing.
GB/T 7714
班奈特格林. Extant Isoptera (termites): a checklist of Latin and Chinese names: Tucupitermes ubixaba 乌比沙巴黄汁白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/tucupitermes-ubixaba/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_tucupitermes_ubixaba_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Tucupitermes ubixaba: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/tucupitermes-ubixaba/},
note = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Tucupitermes ubixaba: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/tucupitermes-ubixaba/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -