Tiago F. Carrijo

Effects of pasture implantation on the termite (Isoptera) fauna in the Central Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado)

The advance of agricultural frontier may cause the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) to disappear before 2030. This work focuses on measuring the impact of pasture implantation on a cerrado’s termite fauna. Termites were sampled in a cerrado sensu stricto and a pasture, originally cerrado. All species were classified as their feeder group, accumulation curves were made and Shannon-Wiener indexes and β diversity were calculated for both areas. Cerrado was richer than pasture and species composition differed considerably, leading β diversity to a high value. The humivorous was the most representative species, followed by grass/litter feeders, xylophagous and, less representative, the intermediates. There were more xylophagous and intermediates species on cerrado than in pasture; the grass/litter feeders were more abundant in pasture, but didn’t differed in number or species; and humivorous didn’t differed neither in richness nor in abundance. This work shows that the simplification of the habitat is indeed causing the extinction of populations that depend on some specifics resource.

Neotropical termites: revision of Armitermes Wasmann (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) and phylogeny of the Syntermitinae

We present a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Syntermitinae, including representatives of all genera of the subfamily, along with all 12 species assigned formerly to the genus Armitermes Wasmann (Termitidae, Syntermitinae), and 4 new species described herein. Syntermitinae was recovered as a natural group and the hypothesis that the frontal tube indicates convergence between Syntermitinae and Nasutitermitinae was corroborated. Also, several diagnostic characters proposed in the original description of Syntermitinae are discussed. Alongside the phylogenetic study, a taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Armitermes was carried out, resulting in division of the genus into four genera. Taxonomic novelties are: Armitermes now includes A. armiger (Motschulsky), A. bidentatus Rocha & Cancello sp.n. and A. spininotus Rocha & Cancello sp.n.; Silvestritermes Rocha & Cancello gen.n. includes S. euamignathus (Silvestri) comb.n., S. lanei (Canter) comb.n., S. gnomus (Constantino) comb.n., S. duende Rocha & Cancello sp.n., S. minutus (Emerson) comb.n., S. almirsateri Rocha & Cancello sp.n. and S. holmgreni (Snyder) comb.n.; Uncitermes Rocha & Cancello gen.n. includes U. teevani (Emerson) comb.n.; Mapinguaritermes Rocha & Cancello gen.n. includes M. peruanus (Holmgren) comb.n. and M. grandidens (Emerson) comb.n. A new synonymy is proposed for A. cerradoensis Mathews under S. euamignathus. All soldiers are described and illustrated, as are the mandibles and digestive tract of the worker and the imago caste, when available. We provide a dichotomous key, based on soldiers, for all genera of Syntermitinae, and distribution maps and dichotomous keys, based on soldiers, for the species of Armitermes and all the new genera described herein.

Compositermes bani sp.n. (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae), a new species of soldierless termite from Bolivia

Species of neotropical Apicotermitinae (Termitidae) are soldierless, restricting species identification in this group to workers or seasonally present winged imagos. All neotropical Apicotermitinae were placed in the genus Anoplotermes, until Mathews (1977) described two new genera, Grigiotermes and Ruptitermes. Fontes (1986) described two more genera, Aparatermes and Tetimatermes. Twenty years passed without any taxonomic advances in this group until Scheffrahn et al. 2006 described two new Anoplotermes species from the West Indies and Bourguignon et al. 2010 described Longustitermes manni, (=Anoplotermes manni Snyder), Anoplotermes janus, and placed six other species into synonymy. Finally, Scheffrahn 2013 described a new genus and species, Compositermes vindai, characterized by a ring of sclerotized paddles at the junction of the enteric valve seating (EVS) and paunch (P3).

Nest plasticity of Cornitermes silvestrii (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) in response to flood pulse in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Nest plasticity of Cornitermes silvestrii (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) in response to flood pulse in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Pantanal is one of the largest wetlands in the world. Since many areas in Pantanal are flooded during part of the year, it is expected that plants and animals would have mechanisms for their survival during the flooded period. This study investigated the existence of differences in nest shape and inquilines of Cornitermes silvestrii in areas influenced by the flood pulse. We measured the volume, height, width, and height/width ratio of 32 nests in flooded areas and 27 in dry areas, and performed an one-way-Anova with the quasi-Poisson distribution to determine if there were differences in the nest measurements between the points. To analyze the relationship of nest inquilines to flood pulse and nest shape, we performed a regression with a Poisson distribution with the inquiline richness and flood pulse, and the above measurements. The nests of C. silvestrii in flooded areas were significantly higher than nests in dry areas, and had a larger height/width ratio. Colonies in periodically flooded areas would probably make a larger effort to extend their nests vertically, to maintain at least some portion of the structure out of the water and prevent the entire colony from being submerged. Neither the size of the nest nor the flood pulses influenced the assemblage of 11 species found in nests of C. silvestrii.

Disjunctitermes insularis, a new soldierless termite genus and species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae) from Guadeloupe and Peru

Abstract Disjunctitermes insularis gen. n. & sp. n. is described from workers collected on Guadeloupe and in Peru and is the first soldierless termite found on a deep-water island. As with many soldierless and soil-feeding termite species, the enteric valve morphology is an essential diagnostic character of D. insularis. The D. insularis sequence cluster, derived from a barcode analysis with twelve other described genera of New World Apicotermitinae, is well resolved. Results of a stochastic dynamic spread model suggest that the occurrence of D. insularis on Guadeloupe may be the result of a pre-Colombian overwater dispersal event from mainland South America.

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.

Echinotermes biriba, a new genus and species of soldierless termite from the Colombian and Peruvian Amazon (Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)

Abstract A new Apicotermitinae genus and species Echinotermes biriba is described from workers collected on the Andean-Amazon Piedmont in Colombia and Peru. The enteric valve armature of Echinotermes biriba Castro & Scheffrahn, gen. et sp. n. is a remarkably diagnostic character. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis using the COI gene and including all other Neotropical Apicotermitinae genera, supports the new genus as a distinct terminal.

Uncitermes almeriae, a new termite species from Amazonia (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae)

Abstract The Neotropical termite genus Uncitermes Rocha & Cancello, 2012 was known from a single species, Uncitermes teevani (Emerson, 1925). In this paper a new species, Uncitermes almeriae sp. n., is described and illustrated from worker and soldier castes, along with observations on the Uncitermes nest. A distribution map with the occurrences of both species is presented. The new species is distinguished from its congener by the presence of short bristles covering the head capsule and frontal tube.

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.