Schievitermes globicornis, Roisin, 2022

Roisin, Yves, 2022, Schievitermes globicornis, a new genus and species of Termitinae (Blattodea, Termitidae) from French Guiana, ZooKeys 1125, pp. 103-114 : 103

Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov.

Material examined.

Holotype: soldier. French Guiana, Petit Saut Dam Road , Carbet Maman Lézard, 05.0672°N, 52.9992°W, from nest among tree roots, 20.i.2012 (coll. Y. Roisin - accession G683) . Paratypes: soldiers and workers from same colony as holotype. Worker’s mtDNA sequence deposited in GenBank under label Neocapritermes sp. H TB-2017 isolate G683, accession KY224444 ( Bourguignon et al. 2017). From other colonies than holotype: French Guiana , Laussat (N1 road, PK194), forest on white sands, 05.4698°N, 53.5748°W, small nest in rotten stump, with queen, soldiers and workers, 27.i.2020 (coll. Y. Roisin, N. Fontaine, A. Dumortier - accession G20-12); Mana Road (D8, PK1-2), forest on white sands, 05.5125°N, 53.5504°W, soldiers and workers in dead wood on the ground, 27.x.2021 (coll. Y. Roisin, N. Fontaine, J. Timmermans - accession G21-54). Type material to be deposited in the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium .

Description.

Imago (Figs 18-20 ): caste only known from single queen from colony G20-12. This individual was physogastric, with partly depigmented eyes indicating a long underground life. Other body parts were probably of paler pigmentation than in swarming alates as well. Head capsule medium brown, postclypeus, pronotum and other tergites lighter. Antennae broken, 9-11 articles remaining, article 3 narrower and shorter than 2 and 4. Fontanelle hyaline, ovoid, about 45 µm long by 30 µm wide. Head capsule regularly rounded behind. Compound eyes medium-sized, ocelli large, separated from eyes by less than their own width. Pronotum rounded laterally and posteriorly, with a distinct notch behind. Measurements (in mm; numbers between brackets refer to list of measurements proposed by Roonwal 1969): Head length to anterior margin of postclypeus [8]: 0.770; head width, with eyes [17]: 0.810; head width, between eyes [52]: 0.595; eye maximum diameter [48]: 0.260; ocellus maximum diameter [55]: 0.115; ocellus-eye distance [57]: 0.035; pronotum length [65]: 0.425; pronotum width [68]: 0.635; hind tibia length [85]: 0.820.

Soldier (Figs 1 - 4 ): Head capsule yellow-brown. Mandibles black, turning brown near base. Antennae yellow-brown. Tibial spurs 3:2:2, anterior spur of fore leg about half the length of the other two.

Measurements of 10 soldiers from three colonies (in mm; numbers between brackets refer to list of measurements proposed by Roonwal 1969): Total head length, including mandibles (held straight forward in measured individuals) [4]: 2.535-2.775; length of head to lateral base of mandibles [5]: 1.320-1.470; head width [17]: 0.700-0.755; length of left mandible [37]: 1.255-1.330; length of right mandible [37]: 1.205-1.295; length of postmentum along median line [61]: 0.800-0.930; maximum width of postmentum [62]: 0.235-0.280; minimum width of postmentum [63]: 0.145-0.175; pronotum width [68]: 0.470-0.510; length of hind tibia [85]: 0.575-0.635.

Worker (Figs 5 - 9 , 12-13 , 15-17 ): Antennae of 13 articles. Tibial spurs 2:2:2. Head width of 20 workers from three colonies: 0.640-0.700 mm.

Etymology.

from Latin globus = globe, sphere, and cornu = horn, antenna; the specific epithet refers to the globular shape of the third antennal article of the soldier.

Figures

Figures 18 - 20. Queen of Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov. 18 head from above 19 oblique view of head 20 pronotum. The three figures are at the same scale.

Figures 1 - 3. Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov.: soldier head 1 from above 2 from below 3 from left.

Figures 4 - 7. Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov.: 4 labrum of soldier 5 worker mandibles, from above 6 gizzard of worker, complete, spread on slide (phase-contrast illumination) 7 gizzard of worker, detail of pulvillus (phase-contrast illumination).

Figures 9 - 14. Proctodeal wall ornaments under phase-contrast illumination 9 Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov., worker enteric valve, spread on slide 10, 11 Planicapritermes planiceps (Emerson, 1925), worker enteric valve, spread on slide; proximal spiny areas and detail of distal spiny ridges, respectively 12, 13 Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov., ornamentation of worker paunch wall, in bulbous posterior part and narrower anterior section, respectively 14 Planicapritermes planiceps, ornamentation of worker paunch wall.

Figures 15 - 17. Workers of Schievitermes globicornis sp. nov. fixed at various stages of abdominal dehiscence 15 linear crack (arrow) behind rear margin of metanotum 16 gut protruding through crack 17 anterior part of the gut completely extruded.