Anhangatermes anhanguera Oliveira

Oliveira, Danilo E., Cunha, Hélida F. & Constantino, Reginaldo, 2014, A taxonomic revision of the soil-feeding termite genus Anhangatermes (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), Zootaxa 3869 (5), pp. 523-536 : 525-527

Anhangatermes anhanguera Oliveira & Cunha, new species

Holotype: soldier, part of lot DZUB-10265, 10.i.2013, collected by Hélida F. Cunha. Type repository: Dept. of Zoology, University of Brasília.

Type-locality: BRAZIL. State of Goiás. Anápolis, Campus da Universidade Estadual de Goiás (UnUCET), lat 16.383S, long 48.9453W, elevation 1100 m.

Paratypes (all from the type-locality): 8 soldiers and 20 workers from the same sample as holotype, (UEG- 1684, DZUB-10265); one soldier and one worker, 12.xii.2012, H.F. Cunha (UEG-2869); 60 soldiers and 117 workers, 11.iv.2014, D.E. Oliveira (UEG-2868).

Etymology. From the Tupi word “ anhanguera ”, old devil, combined as a noun in apposition. Anhanguera was also the nickname of Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, who led the first explorations to the type-locality of this species, around 1722.

Imago. Unknown.

Soldier ( Figs. 5 A, 6A, 6B, 7, 9A). Head capsule yellow-orange; nasus darker. Antennae and thoracic nota yellow. Legs yellowish. Tergites and sternites hyaline. Head capsule typically with 2 bristles on vertex, 3 on the upper part of each lateral side, 4 at base of nasus, and 2 on clypeus; number, size and arrangement of bristles somewhat variable. Head capsule with numerous microscopic hairs, more numerous on vertex and frons ( Fig. 7 C). Apical 1/6 of nasus densely covered with short inclined hairs, which become longer toward apex; 4 longer hairs at tip ( Fig. 7 A). Pronotum with a row of about 6 bristles on anterior margin and a few or none on posterior margin ( Fig. 5 A). Meso- and metanotum without bristles in most specimens; posterior margin sometimes with isolate bristles. Thoracic nota with numerous microscopic hairs. Tergites with a row of about 8 bristles on posterior margin, and one short bristle on lateral margin ( Fig 5 A); surface of tergites with numerous microscopic hairs. Sternites with a row of long bristles on posterior margin; surface with dense inclined hairs of variable length. Head capsule broad, with evenly convex sides. Mandibles apically rounded, without sharp points ( Fig. 9 A). Nasus long, subcylindrical and slightly upturned. Pronotum with anterior margin convex, slightly emarginate. Relative length of antennal articles: 3>6>5>2=4. Measurements in Table 1.

Species n Length of head Width of head Height of head

range mean hol. range mean hol. range mean hol. A. anhanguera 20 2.38–2.60 2.47 2.44 1.40–1.56 1.48 1.46 0.90–1.04 0.96 0.96 A. eurycephalus 22 2.40–2.60 2.55 2.42 1.52–1.68 1.58 1.32 0.96–1.12 1.02 0.88 A. juruena 16 2.32–2.44 2.38 2.60 1.24–1.36 1.30 1.68 0.80–0.90 0.84 1.06 A. macarthuri 15 2.16–2.40 2.29 — 1.22–1.32 1.28 — 0.80–0.85 0.83 — A. pilosus 30 2.34–2.52 2.41 2.44 1.36–1.52 1.45 1.46 0.90–1.00 0.95 1.00 Species Length of nasus Width of pronotum Length of tibia

range mean hol. range mean hol. range mean hol. A. anhanguera 1.12–1.22 1.17 1.14 0.65–0.70 0.68 0.70 1.26–1.35 1.31 1.26 A. eurycephalus 1.06–1.22 1.15 1.18 0.66–0.72 0.70 0.66 1.12–1.38 1.29 1.20 A. juruena 1.10–1.20 1.15 1.20 0.62–0.68 0.66 0.72 1.20–1.24 1.21 1.28 A. macarthuri 1.04–1.22 1.13 — 0.60–0.66 0.62 — 1.11–1.22 1.16 — A. pilosus 1.08–1.20 1.14 1.16 0.62–0.68 0.65 0.64 1.20–1.34 1.27 1.26 Worker ( Figs. 2 , 3 A, 10A). Head capsule and postclypeus yellowish. Postclypeus strongly inflated. Epicranial suture and fontanelle spot inconspicuous. Fontanelle spot slightly depressed. Antennae with basal articles whitish, becoming yellow towards apex. Thoracic nota, legs and abdomen whitish. Head capsule with numerous bristles of variable size ( Fig. 10 A) and many short hairs and microscopic hairs; postclypeus with many bristles and hairs of variable size. Pro-, meso- and metanota with many bristles on margins and numerous microscopic hairs on surface. Tergites with a irregular row of bristles of variable size on posterior margin, and a second, similar row near middle; surface of tergites with sparse hairs, about half the length of bristles. Pilosity of sternites similar to that of soldier. Enteric valve armature elongate, with 3 major plates alternating with 3 minor plates; minor plates narrower and a little shorter ( Fig. 3 A). Length of major plates about 0.4 mm and of minor plates about 0.3 mm. All plates covered with relatively large conical spines orientated in direction of food movement; posterior end of each plate with a line of perpendicular spines. Surface between plates without spines. Measurements in Table 2.

Species n length of head width of head width of pronotum length of tibia

range mean range mean range mean range mean A. anhanguera 20 0.82–0.94 0.88 1.00–1.14 1.08 0.56–0.62 0.59 1.04–1.20 1.13 A. eurycephalus 19 0.80–0.96 0.86 0.98–1.12 1.04 0.52–0.70 0.56 1.08–1.32 1.15 A. juruena 20 0.84–0.94 0.88 1.02–1.10 1.06 0.56–0.60 0.58 1.08–1.16 1.12 A. macarthuri 3 0.78–0.82 0.79 0.96–1.00 0.98 0.52–0.56 0.54 1.06 1.06 A. pilosus 30 0.82–0.98 0.90 0.92–1.18 1.11 0.52–0.68 0.58 1.06–1.38 1.21 Comparisons. Soldiers of A. anhanguera , sp. n. can be easily distinguished from those of A. eurycephalus , sp. n., A. juruena , sp. n. and A. macarthuri based on chaetotaxy: the later species have only two bristles on the head capsule, no bristles on thoracic nota, no bristles on clypeus, and a line of 4 bristles on the posterior margin of each tergite. The soldier of A. pilosus , sp. n. differs in the chaetotaxy of meso- and metanotum, which have many bristles, and of tergites, which have two rows of bristles instead of one ( Fig. 5 ). The worker of A. anhanguera , sp. n. has more bristles and hairs on the head capsule than all the other species and its enteric valve armature is longer than in all other species.

Habitat. Gallery forest and savanna (cerrado sensu stricto).

Remarks. Sample UEG-032 ( Brazil, State of Goiás, Parque Estadual da Serra de Jaraguá, lat 15.8054S long 49.3206W) contains a single, dried, soldier head which seems to belong to this species. This sample was excluded from the type series because the specimen is poorly preserved and its identification is uncertain.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gizzard armature of Anhangatermes anhanguera, sp. n.

FIGURE 3. Enteric valve armature of Anhangatermes. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B – C: A. eurycephalus, sp. n. (C is a crosssection in posterior view); D, A. juruena, sp. n.; E, A. pilosus, sp. n.

FIGURE 5. Schematic drawings of soldiers of Anhangatermes in dorsal view, showing chaetotaxy of thoracic nota and tergites 1 and 2. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B: A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C, A. juruena, sp. n.; D, A. pilosus, sp. n. Microscopic hairs not shown.

FIGURE 7. Scanning electron micrograph of the soldier of Anhangatermes anhanguera, sp. n. A, tip of nasus; B, head in profile; C, vertex of head; D, head in dorsal view.

FIGURE 9. Soldier mandibles of Anhangatermes in dorsal view. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B: A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C, A. juruena, sp. n.; D, A. macarthuri Constantino 1990 (paratype); E, A. pilosus, sp. n.

FIGURE 10. Workers of Anhangatermes, head in dorsal view. A, A. anhanguera, sp. n.; B, A. eurycephalus, sp. n.; C, A. juruena, sp. n.; D, A. pilosus, sp. n.