Ruptitermes krishnai, Acioli, Agno Nonato Serrão & Constantino, Reginaldo, 2015

Acioli, Agno Nonato Serrão & Constantino, Reginaldo, 2015, A taxonomic revision of the neotropical termite genus Ruptitermes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae), Zootaxa 4032 (5), pp. 451-492 : 468-470

Ruptitermes krishnai , new species

Holotype: worker from lot UnB-8107, 03.viii.2011, R. Constantino col.

Type-locality: Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad: Northern Range (ca. lat 10.75N long 61.5W)

Type-repository: UnB.

Paratypes: workers, same data as holotype.

Etymology. Named in honor of Prof. Kumar Krishna (1928–2014), for his outstanding contribution to the study of termites ( Engel & Grimaldi 2011).

Imago. Unknown.

Worker ( Figs. 12 , 22 H, 25A). Head capsule rounded, light brown, paler anteriorly, with sparse bristles and numerous short hairs inclined anteriorly. Postclypeus moderately inflated, paler than head capsule, with one long bristle near the center of each lobe and a few hairs of variable size distributed irregularly. Fontanelle small and rounded, with poorly defined border, surrounded by several irregular, concentric circles; color of fontanelle a little lighter than top of head; region around fontanelle depressed. Frontal marks elliptical, very conspicuous, pale colored. Vestigial ocelli conspicuous as small, elliptical, and pale colored marks. Region around antennal sockets pale colored, contrasting with the dark color of the posterior region of head capsule. Mandibles similar to those of R. xanthochiton ; notch on left mandible forming an angle of about 60° ( Fig. 12 E). Thoracic nota light brown, paler than head capsule, with bristles along margins only, and no short hairs. Procoxa with 4–6 (usually 5) spine-like bristles on anterior surface, arranged along a curved line ( Fig. 12 C). Meso- and metacoxa without spine-like bristles. Inner surface of profemur with about 10 thick and long bristles on proximal half, distributed irregularly. Protibia slender, not inflated, with two irregular rows of spine-like bristles along inner margin ( Fig. 12 B). Tergites light brown, same color as thoracic nota, with two rows of straight bristles and many very short, nearly microscopic hairs, about 1/10 of the length of the bristles. Dehiscent glands small, usually reaching only the first abdominal segment. Enteric valve unsclerotized; ridges moderately elongate, reticulated with faint pentagonal or hexagonal cells; cells become smaller and undefined near a raised region located on the anterior part of the ridge ( Fig. 25 A). Measurements in Table 2 .

Comparisons. The worker of R. krishnai has more hairs on head capsule than most other species. The worker of R. kaapora is about the same size and also has numerous hairs on head capsule, but has the postclypeus is strongly inflated, and head is yellow, the protibia is inflated, and the procoxa has 6–7 spine-like bristles. See also comparisons under R. piliceps . The enteric valve is similar to those of R. piliceps and R. reconditus .

Distribution. Known only from Trinidad ( Fig. 27 ), from the forests of the Northern Range.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Worker of Ruptitermes krishnai, sp. n. A, head in profile; B, head in dorsal view; C, protibia; D, procoxae; E, mandibles.

FIGURE 22. Worker heads of Ruptitermes, showing pilosity. All figures in the same scale.

FIGURE 25. Enteric valve armature of workers of Ruptitermes. A, R. krishnai; B – C, R. maraca; D, R. piliceps; E – F, R. pitan; G – H, R. reconditus; I – J, R. xanthochiton. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 27. Geographic range of Ruptitermes bandeirai, sp. n., R. cangua, sp. n., R. franciscoi (Snyder 1959), new combination, R. kaapora, sp. n., and Ruptitermes krishnai, sp. n.