Hodotermopsinae Engel, 2021

JIANG, RI-XIN, ZHANG, HONG-RUI, ELDREDGE, K. TARO, SONG, XIAO-BIN, LI, YAN-DA, TIHELKA, ERIK, HUANG, DI-YING, WANG, SHUO, ENGEL, MICHAEL S. & CAI, CHEN-YANG, 2021, Further evidence of Cretaceous termitophily: Description of new termite hosts of the trichopseniine Cretotrichopsenius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), with emendations to the classification of lower termites (Isoptera), Palaeoentomology 4 (4), pp. 374-389 : 383-384

Hodotermopsinae Engel , subfam. nov.

Type genus. Hodotermopsis Holmgren, 1911 .

Diagnosis. Imago right mandible with apical tooth as long as or slightly shorter than first marginal tooth (apical tooth longer than first marginal tooth in Archotermopsinae s. str.). Imago left mandible with apical short, subequal to first marginal tooth (as long as or longer than first marginal tooth, sometimes apical, first marginal, and second marginal teeth equally developed [i. e., Archotermopsis ], in Archotermopsinae s. str.), second marginal tooth forming broad cutting edge, with apex projecting to or nearly to level of first marginal tooth (if second marginal tooth forms broad cutting edge in Archotermopsinae [i. e., Zootermopsis Emerson, 1933 ], then apex of second marginal tooth projecting to half length of first marginal tooth). Soldier with lateral spines only present on metatibia (present on all tibia in Archotermopsinae s. str.); cerci 1.5× or less length of styli (2× or more in Archotermopsinae s. str.). Otherwise typical for Archotermopsidae in presence of cryptically pentamerous tarsi (i. e., second tarsomere reduced and obscured from above giving the false impression of tetramerous tarsi from some angles) and right mandible of image with a subsidiary tooth present at base of anterior margin of first marginal tooth (i. e., between apical tooth and first marginal tooth). While Archotermopsinae tend to have one poorly distinguished inferior branch of Rs apically that parallels the main Rs branch to or just posterior to the wing apex, in Hodotermopsis there may be at times two inferior branches of Rs ( Hodotermitidae have more developed, striking straight parallel inferior branches that strike toward the posterior margin ( Engel et al., 2009; Krishna et al., 2013).

Repeated studies demonstrate the distinctiveness of Hodotermopsis ( Bourguignon et al., 2015; Buček et al., 2019). It may be warranted to elevate the rank of this group but given the contradictory placements of several Teletisoptera in recent phylogenetic estimates ( Bourguignon et al., 2015; Legendre et al., 2015; Engel et al., 2016; Buček et al., 2019), we are hesitant to make any further refinements to the classification beyond noting the special placement of the genus.