Tonsuritermes mathewsi Cancello & Constantini, 2018

Constantini, Joice P., Carrijo, Tiago Fernandes, Palma-Onetto, Valeria, Scheffrahn, Rudolf, Carnohan, Lucas Paul, Šobotník, Jan & Cancello, Eliana M., 2018, Tonsuritermes, a new soldierless termite genus and two new species from South America (Blattaria: Isoptera: Termitidae: Apicotermitinae), Zootaxa 4531 (3), pp. 383-394 : 389-390

Tonsuritermes mathewsi Cancello & Constantini sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 E–F; 3C; 6)

Holotype: worker from lot MZUSP 12268, (in a separate vial with the remaining sample).

Type-locality: BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães, lat 15.4605S , long 55.7497W.

Type-repository: MZUSP

Paratypes. BRASIL. Goiás: Anápolis , lat 16.3266S, long 48.9527W, DE Oliveira coll., UEG 4075; same data of holotype sample: 04.viii.2009, TF Carrijo coll., MZUSP 12268 , 12615 , 27374 ; 04.viii.2009, MR Rocha coll., MZUSP 23920 .

Diagnosis. Monomorphic worker; head capsule with long bristles of almost the same size and bristles of tergites scattered.

Imago. Unknown.

Worker. Monomorphic ( Fig. 2 E–F). Head capsule with long bristles of almost the same size. Bristles of tergites scattered. Postclypeus hyper-inflated. Fontanelle 1/4 diameter of head capsule in dorsal view. Protibia strongly inflated, with a groove in the inner surface of the profemur.

Comparison and remarks. A huge variation at the head pilosity, number of spine-like bristles on the protibia, and form and size of the fontanelle were observed among the samples of the new genus, which makes the distinction of the two species quite challenging. Despite the similarity between Tonsuritermes tucki and Tonsuritermes mathewsi , the latter, with monomorphic workers, is restricted to the Brazilian savannah, the Cerrado, while the dimorphic T. tucki , was collected primarily in forests and was sampled mostly (but not only) in forest formations. The head of T. tucki has bristles of two sizes, and those on tergites are all pointing backwards, while in T. mathewsi the bristles are same size, long on the head, and in the tergites, the bristles are pointing in multiple directions. The postclypeous of T. mathewsi is more inflated than in T. tucki . The workers of T. mathewsi are larger than T. tucki ( Tab. 2) and the fontanelle is on average lower in T. mathewsi than W2 of T. tucki . In addition, the protibia of T. mathewsi is more inflated, and the groove in the inner surface of the profemur is deeper.

Etymology. Tonsuritermes mathewsi is named in honour of A. G. Anthony Mathews for his important contribution to the taxonomy and biology of the termites of Mato Grosso, Brazil ( Mathews 1977).

Biological notes. Some samples were collected from derelict nests built by undetermined species of Cornitermes Wasmann, 1897 in cerrado vegetation.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Tonsuritermes, workers head and thorax. A—worker type 1 of T. tucki, sp. nov., dorsal view; B—same as A in lateral view; C—worker type 2 of T. tucki, sp. nov., dorsal view; D—same as C in lateral view. E—T. mathewsi sp. nov., dorsal view; F—same as E in lateral view. Specimens from lots MZUSP6480 (A–D) and MZUSP12268 (E–F).