Ruptitermes

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 : 454

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4032.5.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2E0C9370-981C-42C2-A079-44497DABF112

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5623151

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1A2087B4-FFC3-FF85-929B-FD08FA5CB8A1

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Ruptitermes
status

 

Key to the species of Ruptitermes based on workers

This key is based on external morphology only. The enteric valve may also be examined for confirmation (but see comments in the methods section).

1. Procoxa without spine-like bristles ( Figs. 4 View FIGURE 4 C, 6C); head capsule with long, curved bristles ( Figs. 22 View FIGURE 22 B, D)................ 2

- Procoxa with 4 or more distinct spine-like bristles on anterior surface ( Figs. 2 View FIGURE 2 C, 18C); head capsule without long, curved bris- tles, with a variable number of shorter, straight bristles or hairs ( Figs. 22 View FIGURE 22 A, C, E–M)................................ 3

2. Head capsule dark brown ( Figs. 4 View FIGURE 4 D–E); protibia not inflated ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 B); Amazon forest..................... R. arboreus

- Head capsule yellow ( Figs. 6 View FIGURE 6 D–E); protibia short and inflated ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 B); Atlantic forest............... R. bandeirai , sp. n.

3. Head capsule with numerous short hairs inclined anteriorly; width of head <1.3 mm ( Figs. 22 View FIGURE 22 G, H, J).................. 4

- Head capsule with bristles only or with a combination of bristles and sparse hairs; width of head variable ( Figs. 22 View FIGURE 22 A, C, E, F, I, K, L, M)............................................................................................ 6

4. Postclypeus large and inflated; procoxa with 7–10 spine-like bristles on anterior surface; protibia inflated ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 )................................................................................................ R. kaapora , sp. n.

- Posclypeus flattened; procoxa with 4–6 spine-like bristles on anterior surface; protibia not inflated..................... 5

5. Fontanelle depressed, rounded, with several irregular, concentric circles; color of fontanelle a little lighter than top of head; frontal marks very conspicuous, pale colored; tergites covered with minute hairs, about 1/10 of the length of the bristles ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 ).................................................................................... R. krishnai , sp. n.

- Fontanelle not depressed, usually elongate; color of fontanelle conspicuously lighter than top of head; tergites covered with longer hairs, about 1/3 of the length of the bristles ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 )...................................... R. piliceps , sp. n.

6. Procoxa with 9 or more spine-like bristles on anterior surface ( Figs. 2 View FIGURE 2 C, 7C, 16C, 21F)............................. 7

- Procoxa with 4–6 spine-like bristles on anterior surface ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 C, 9C, 13B, 18C)................................. 10

7. Profemur with two distinct lines of thick bristles along inner surface ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 B, 7C, 21B); region between the lines of bristles flattened, pale and without bristles or hairs................................................................. 8

- Profemur without two distinct lines of thick bristles on inner surface; other characters variable....................... 9

8. Tergites sclerotized, brownish; head capsule brown ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 )....................................... R. cangua , sp. n.

- Tergites unsclerotized, hyaline; head capsule yellow to light brown ( Fig. 21 View FIGURE 21 ).......................... R. xanthochiton

9. Head capsule with sparse bristles ( Fig. 22 View FIGURE 22 A); postclypeus large and inflated, with only one bristle on each lobe ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 )............................................................................................ R. araujoi , sp. n.

- Head capsule with numerous bristles of variable size ( Fig. 22 View FIGURE 22 K); postclypeus flattened, usually with three bristles on each lobe ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 )................................................................................. R. pitan , sp. n.

10. Fontanelle indistinct; head yellow; tergites yellowish; width of head <1.2 mm ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 )................ R. maraca , sp. n.

- Fontanelle conspicuous, paler than remainder of head capsule; head capsule brown; tergites brownish; width of head variable (1–2 mm)........................................................................................... 11

11. Meso- and metacoxa with a distinct longitudinal row of 3–4 thick bristles on outer surface (almost as thick as the ones on the anterior surface of the procoxa); width of head> 1.5 mm ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ).................................... R. atyra , sp. n.

- Meso- and metacoxa without a distinct row of thick bristles; width of head <1.4 mm ............................... 12

12. Left mandible with a very shallow notch between M1 and M3; molar prominence not bilobed; head capsule with several hairs of variable size between fontanelle and vertex (best examined in profile with good illumination); fontanelle rounded ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 9 )............................................................................................ R. franciscoi

- Left mandible with a deeper notch between M1 and M3; molar prominence conspicuously bilobed (but may be worn); head capsule without fine hairs between fontanelle and vertex (with two distinct bristles near vertex); fontanelle small and elliptical (rarely rounded) ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 )..................................................................... R. reconditus

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Isoptera

Family

Termitidae

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