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. 2023 Jun 22:1167:317-352.
doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1167.100001. eCollection 2023.

Diminishing the taxonomic gap in the neotropical soldierless termites: descriptions of four new genera and a new Anoplotermes species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)

Tiago F Carrijo  1 , Daniel Castro  2 , Menglin Wang  3 , Joice P Constantini  4 , Thomas Bourguignon  3   5 , Eliana M Cancello  4 , Yves Roisin  6 , Rudolf H Scheffrahn  7
Affiliations

Diminishing the taxonomic gap in the neotropical soldierless termites: descriptions of four new genera and a new Anoplotermes species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)

Tiago F Carrijo et al. Zookeys. .

Abstract

The neotropical Apicotermitinae is a common and widespread clade of mostly soil-feeding soldierless termites. With few exceptions, species of this group were originally assigned to the genus Anoplotermes Müller, 1873. The application of internal worker morphology coupled with genetic sequencing has recently shed light on the true diversity of this subfamily. Herein, Anoplotermessusanae Scheffrahn, Carrijo & Castro, sp. nov. and four new species in four new genera are described: Hirsutitermeskanzakii Scheffrahn, Carrijo & Castro, gen. nov. et sp. nov., Krecekitermesdaironi Scheffrahn, Carrijo & Castro, gen. nov. et sp. nov., Mangolditermescurveileum Scheffrahn, Carrijo & Castro, gen. nov. et sp. nov., and Ourissotermesgiblinorum Scheffrahn, Carrijo & Castro, gen. nov. et sp. nov. Worker descriptions are based mainly on worker gut morphology, including the enteric valve, while imagoes were described based on external characters. A Bayesian phylogenetic tree of New World Apicotermitinae was constructed using the complete mitogenome to infer genera relationships and corroborate the taxonomic decisions. Distribution maps and a dichotomic key to the known Neotropical Apicotermitinae genera are provided.

Keywords: Enteric valve armature; Linnean shortfall; mitogenome sequencing; soil-feeder; species distribution; taxonomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Imago head and pronotum in dorsal and lateral view A, BAnoplotermessusanae sp. nov. C, DHirsutitermeskanzakii sp. nov. E, FKrecekitermesdaironi sp. nov. G, HOurissotermesgiblinorum sp. nov.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Head capsule of workers A, BAnoplotermessusanae sp. nov. C, DHirsutitermeskanzakii sp. nov. E, FKrecekitermesdaironi sp. nov.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Head capsule of workers A, BMangolditermescurveileum sp. nov. C, DOurissotermesgiblinorum sp. nov.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Foreleg of workers AAnoplotermessusanae sp. nov. BHirsutitermeskanzakii sp. nov. CKrecekitermesdaironi sp. nov. DMangolditermescurveileum sp. nov. EOurissotermesgiblinorum sp. nov.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Mandibles of workers AAnoplotermessusanae sp. nov. B Hirsutitermeskanzakii sp. nov. CKrecekitermesdaironi sp. nov. DMangolditermescurveileum sp. nov. E, Ourissotermesgiblinorum sp.nov. Arrow indicates the molar process.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Worker digestive tracts. From left to right: ventral, right, dorsal, and left views AAnoplotermessusanae sp. nov. BHirsutitermeskanzakii sp. nov. CKrecekitermesdaironi sp. nov. Abbreviations: C = crop, DO = Dehiscent organ, MS = mesenteron, MT = mesenteric tongue (mixed segment), P1 = ileum, EVS = enteric valve seating, P3 and P3b = paunch, P4 = colon, P5 = rectum.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Worker enteric valve of Anoplotermessusanae sp. nov. A, B sliced mount C enteric valve seating filled with bacteria located on “bacterial slime”. Locations of enteric valve cushions (P2) and “star-like” plaque at the junction of P1 and P3 are diagrammed D whole mount. Scale bars: 100 μm.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Worker enteric valves A–CHirsutitermeskanzakii sp. nov. from Colombia (UNAB 6137), Venezuela (UFTC VZ363), and Bolivia (UFTC BO532) D–FKrecekitermesdaironi sp. nov. from Brazil (MZUSP 17402), Colombia (CATAC 8308), and Bolivia (UFTC BO84). Scale bars: 100 μm.
Figure 10.
Figure 10.
Worker enteric valves A–DMangolditermescurveileum sp. nov. from French Guiana (G18-178), Peru (UFTC PU520 and PU703), and Brazil (MZUSP 17114) E–HOurissotermesgiblinorum sp. nov. from Brazil (MZUSP 17967), Colombia (CATAC 9447), Bolivia (UFTC BO167), and French Guiana (G16-127). Scale bars: 100 μm.
Figure 11.
Figure 11.
Apicotermitinae worker enteric valves AHydrecotermesarieneshoBHydrecotermeskawaiiCHumutermesnoirotiDAnoplotermesbanksiEAnoplotermesmeridianusFAnoplotermesjanusGAnoplotermesparvusHLongustitermesmanniIPatawatermesnigripunctatusJPatawatermesturricolaKRubeotermesjheringiLGrigiotermeshageni. Scale bars: 100 μm.
Figure 12.
Figure 12.
Bayesian phylogenetic tree of the New World Apicotermitinae using the complete mitogenome. New taxa are highlighted, and outgroups are not shown. Branch support is posterior probability.
Figure 13.
Figure 13.
Distribution maps of the new species described in this study (lit.= literature record).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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