New genera and new species of Nasutitermitinae from the Neotropical Region (Isoptera, Termitidae)

New genera and new species of Nasutitermitinae from the Neotropical Region (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Luiz Roberto Fontes

Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Zoologia, Caixa Postal 20520, 01000 São Paulo, SP. This work received financial support from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Proc. 82/0346-4) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Proc. 40.0499/82)

ABSTRACT

Three new Neotropical genera of Nasutitermitinae, of the group with mandibulate soldiers, are described. Cyrilliotermes, gen. n., is related to Curvitermes and includes C. cupim, sp. n. (type species), C. jaci, sp. n., C. cashassa, sp. n., C. strictinasus (Mathews, 1977), comb, n., and C. angulariceps (Mathews, 1977), comb, n., both C. strictinasus and C. angulariceps being removed from Curvitermes. Alates and soldiers are described for C. cupim, from Brazil, and for C. cachassa, from Suriname, and soldiers for C. jaci, from Suriname; a new locality is reported for C. strictinasus. Embiratermes, gen. n., is related to Armitermes and include E. festivellus (Silvestri, 1901), comb. n. (type species), E. benjamini (Snyder, 1926), comb, n., E. brevinasus (Emerson & Banks, 1957), comb, n., E. chagresi (Snyder, 1925), comb, n., E. heterotypus Silvestri, 1901), comb, n., E. latidens (Emerson & Banks, 1957), comb, n., E. neotenicus (Holmgren, 1906), comb, n., E. silvestrii (Emerson, 1949), comb, n., E. snyderi (Emerson & Banks, 1957), comb, n., E. spissus (Emerson & Banks, 1957), comb, n., and E. transandinus (Araujo, 1977), comb, n., all removed from Armitermes. The creation of Embiratermes, besides being based on morphological characteristics of soldiers, workers and alates, is justified by the defensive behaviour of the soldiers, which is different from that of Armitermes soldiers. Ibitermes, gen. n., which seems to be related to Embiratermes, includes only I. curupira, sp. n., described from a series of soldiers and workers from Brazil. Keys based on the soldier caste are provided for the identification of the 11 genera with mandibulate soldiers of the Nasutitermitinae, and for the species of Rhynchotermes, Curvitermes and Cyrilliotermes. Curvitermes planioculus Mathews, 1977 is considered a junior synonym of C. minor (Silvestri, 1901), syn.n.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to Dr. Francisca C. do Val and Dr. José H. Guimarães, and to Dr. Denise J. Domingos and Miss Maria A. Drumond, for providing specimens of the collections of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo and Instituto de Biologia da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, respectively. My thanks are also due to Dr. Nelson Papavero and Dr. Solange M. F. Ribeiro, for the critical reading of the manuscript.

Fontes, L. R., 1983. Acréscimos e correções ao "Catálogo dos Isoptera do Novo Mundo". Ibid. 27.

• Araujo, R. L., 1977. Catálogo dos Isoptera do Novo Mundo. Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Rio de Janeiro, 92 pp.
• Emerson, A. E., 1952. The Neotropical genera Procornitermes and Cornitermes (Isoptera, Termitidae). Bull. Am. Mus. nat. Hist. 99:477-539.
• Fontes, L. R., 1981. Caetetermes taquarussu, a new genus and species of Ecuadorian nasute (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae). Revta bras. Ent. 25 (2):135-140.
• Krishna, K., 1968. Phylogeny and generic reclassification of the Capritermes complex (Isoptera, Termitidae, Termitinae). Bull. Am. Mus. nat. Hist. 138:261-324.
• Mathews, A. G. A., 1977. Studies on termites from the Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Rio de Janeiro, 267 pp.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  24 Aug 2009
• Date of issue
  1985