Isognathotermes aff. planifrons (Sjöstedt, 1924)

Fig. 33

Diagnosis

This species has a soldier of planifrons morphology; nothing distinguishes it from other planifrons but the mitogenome has a dissimilarity>2% with the other samples of I. planifrons . It is therefore considered a possible cryptic species. However, there is only one sample that has this genetic signature, so it has not yet been described.

Material examined

One sample.

CAMEROON • soldier; Nsimi; 3°10′ N, 11°58′ E; Nov. 1996; M. Harry leg.; study code: DJ P141; GenBank no PQ679213 (mitogenome); MNHN EP9827 .

Historical review

This putative cryptic species is known from a single nest, sampled in 1996, by one of us (MyH) between Nsimi and Zoétélé, Cameroon.

Molecular data

The mitogenome of DJ P141 exhibits up to 2.70% dissimilarity with the other samples of I. planifrons (Supp. file 4).