Lophotermes aduncus Miller

Bourguignon, Thomas, Leponce, Maurice & Roisin, Yves, 2008, Revision of the Termitinae with snapping soldiers (Isoptera: Termitidae) from New Guinea, Zootaxa 1769, pp. 1-34 : 12

Lophotermes aduncus Miller

( Figs 17–20 , 65)

Lophotermes aduncus Miller, 1991: 1212 .

Type material examined: paratypes. AUSTRALIA. ANIC. Queensland. #10–20450, 8 km SW of Cape Weymouth, 1.vii.1984, L.R. Miller.

Other material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Authors' collection. Fly. # PNGT 1412: Morehead, 22.iii.1989, YR & ML. # PNGT 1455: Morehead, 25.iii.1989, YR & ML. # PNGT 1469: Morehead, 27.iii.1989, YR & ML.

Diagnosis. L. aduncus can be differentiated from congeners by the narrow frontal projection and lateral tubercles, and the short mandibles of its soldiers. Worker enteric valve with 6 cushions of equal size, with many small spines and long, curved ones in their distal part. For a detailed description see Miller (1991). Measurements as in Table 7 and 18 .

Distribution (Fig. 65). L. aduncus was collected three times at Morehead, in Southern Papua New Guinea savannas. It is also known from various places in Queensland ( Miller 1991, Watson & Abbey 1993: 110).

Head length to apex of frontal tubercle 1.52–1.91 Head length to anterolateral corner of the genae 1.47–1.66 Head depth with postmentum 0.76–0.91 Head depth without postmentum 0.86–1.01 Head maximum width 1.10–1.19 Pronotum width 0.59–0.66 Left mandible length 1.54–1.74 Postmentum minimum width 0.14–0.20 Distance between tips of lateral tubercles 0.70–0.81

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 20. Lophotermes aduncus: 17, soldier head, dorsal; 18, soldier head, lateral; 19, enteric valve; 20, worker mandibles. Scale bars: 17, 18, 0.5 mm.