Carolina Cuezzo

A new genus and species of mandibulate nasute termite (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) from Brazil

Abstract Acangaobitermes krishnai gen. et sp. n., is described here, based on soldiers and workers collected in Brazil. Some characteristics suggest a close kinship with Noirotitermes Cancello & Myles, and both genera share the following traits absent in all other Syntermitinae: the microsculpturing on the soldier head capsule surface with internal granulations; the piercing mandibles with a single very reduced marginal tooth and the worker very similar in both genera. The most conspicuous differences between Acangaobitermes and Noirotitermes are the shape of the soldier head, the frontal tube and pronotum. The shape of the soldier head in Noirotitermes is unusual, with a very broad and short frontal tube, four conspicuous protuberances like sharp corners at the rear, while in the new genus the posterior contour of the head is devoid of these protuberances. The frontal tube of Acangaobitermes is elongate and conical, while in Noirotitermes it is short and very broad. The pronotum of Acangaobitermes is saddle-shaped as is usual in other Syntermitinae, while it is aberrant in Noirotitermes.

Phylogenetic reconstruction of Syntermitinae (Isoptera, Termitidae) based on morphological and molecular data

The subfamily Syntermitinae comprises a group of Neotropical termites with 18 genera and 101 species described. It has been considered a natural group, but relationships among the genera within the subfamily remain uncertain, and some genera appear to be non-monophyletic. Here, we provide a comprehensive phylogeny including six Neotropical species of Termitinae as outgroup, 42 Syntermitinae species as ingroup, 92 morphological characters (from external and internal anatomy of soldier and worker castes) and 117 molecular sequences (109 obtained for this study and 8 from GenBank) of 4 gene regions (41 and 22 from Cytochrome Oxidase I and II respectively, 19 from Cytochrome b, and 35 from 16S rDNA). Morphological and molecular data were analyzed in combination, with the Bayesian inference method, and the important aspects of termite biology, defense and feeding habits are discussed based on the resulting tree. Although useful for providing diagnostic characters, the morphology of the soldier caste reveals several cases of convergence; whereas the feeding habit shows indications of evolutionary significance.

Transfer of two species from Nasutitermes Dudley to Cortaritermes Mathews (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae)

Soldiers and workers of the Neotropical nasute genus Cortaritermes are easily differentiated from other nasutitermitine genera by the first proctodeal segment of the coiling gut in situ forming a distinct loop visible throughout the abdominal wall on the right side of the abdomen. The study proposes to transfer two species currently in Nasutitermes to Cortaritermes, raising the total number of Cortaritermes species to five: C. silvestrii (Holmgren, 1910) (type species), C. fulviceps (Silvestri, 1901), C. rizzinii (Araujo, 1971), C. intermedius (Banks, 1919) comb. nov. and C. piliceps (Holmgren, 1910) comb. nov. The last two species, C. intermedius and C. piliceps, are herein redescribed, and digital images are provided. The distribution of Cortaritermes is now expanded to northern and north‐eastern South America.

Sandsitermes gen. nov., a new nasute termite genus from South America (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

We establish herein a new genus of Neotropical termites of the subfamily Nasutitermitinae, Sandsitermes gen. nov.. The new genus accommodates a previously described species, Nasutitermes robustus (Holmgren), and is diagnosed by worker characters, including the mandibles, the gut-coiling configuration in situ, and the pattern of cushions and spines of the enteric valve. We characterized and illustrated the imago for the first time and redescribe the soldier and worker castes of Sandsitermes robustus gen. et comb. nov. from syntypes and other samples from eastern Peru. We support our taxonomic decision, presenting morphological differences between the gut pattern and enteric valve of S. robustus and 13 neotropical Nasutitermes species studied for this report, and discuss possible relationships with other neotropical nasute termites.

Coendutermes tucum Fontes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae): description of the imago caste and additional notes

Coendutermes Fontes, 1985 is a monotypic South American termite genus. Coendutermes tucum Fontes, 1985, was described based on morphological characters from soldiers and workers collected in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and Jodensavanne, Suriname. Herein, I describe the imago caste of C. tucum for the first time with additional notes on soldiers, workers, and new distributional records. The studied material is deposited at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (MZUSP). I use the terminology of Fontes (1987) to describe worker mandibles, and that of Noirot (2001) for the different parts of the digestive tube of workers. I measured the imagoes morphometric characters following Roonwal (1970): LH, length of head capsule (9); WH, width of head capsule without eyes (18); OF, occipito-fontanelle distance (23); DE, diameter of eye (48); LO, length of ocellus (55); WO, width of ocellus (56); EOD, eye-ocellus distance (57); LP, length of pronotum (65); WP, width of pronotum (68); LT, length of hind tibia (85). I took photographs of all castes with a stereomicroscope (Leica M205C) attached to a video camera (Leica DFC295) and images of gizzard and enteric valve under a microscope (Leica DM750B) attached to a video camera (Leica ICC50HD), then I combined the stacks of images with the software Leica LAS EZ 2.0 or Helicon Focus 5.2.11 X64. For the scanning electron micrographs (SEM), one soldier was dried to critical point while directly mounted on a stub with double face adhesive tape, then coated with gold and photographed with the SEM (Zeiss LEO 440 ®).

Caetetermes taquarussu Fontes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae): description of the imago caste and new distributional records.

Caetetermes Fontes, 1981 is a monotypic South American genus of Nasutitermitinae. Its single species, Caetetermes taquarussu Fontes, 1981, was described based on morphological characters from soldiers and workers collected at three localities in the tropical rainforest of northeastern Ecuador. Several samples of C. taquarussu represented also by the imago caste were examined at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (MZUSP) and the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., USA (USNM). Herein, we describe the imago caste of Caetetermes for the first time, with notes on soldier and worker caste and new distributional records for the species.

Tiunatermes mariuzani gen. nov. et sp. nov., a new nasute termite from the Brazilian savannah (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Tiunatermes mariuzani gen. nov. and sp. nov. from the subfamily Nasutitermitinae is described based on soldiers and workers collected in Brazilian savannah (Cerrado), Jalapão region, Brazil. Digital images, scanning electron micrographs and illustrations of diagnostic characters are provided. Soldiers and workers of Tiunatermes share in particular some morphological traits with the neotropical nasute termite genera Anhangatermes Constantino, but soldiers can be distinguished by a conical nasus, procoxa without a hump on the anterior surface, abdominal sclerites well sclerotized, and imbricate tergites and workers are distinguished by mandible morphology, coiling gut in situ, and cuticular armature of the gizzard and the enteric valve.