Cubitermes sulcifrons, Wasmann, 1911, Wasmann, 1911

Josens, Guy & Deligne, Jean, 2019, Species groups in the genus Cubitermes (Isoptera: Termitidae) defined on the basis of enteric valve morphology, European Journal of Taxonomy 515, pp. 1-72 : 54-55

9. The sulcifrons valve pattern group

The worker within this group has an enteric valve with all the six primary cushions ending downstream in yellow to brown sclerotised spatulae that stick out of the valve ( Fig. 20A ). The spiny parts of the primary cushions are more or less fusiform: the largest widths are located in the first upstream third and their lateral margins converge gradually towards both ends ( Fig. 11I ). All of the spatulae end symmetrically with two right or acute angles and all the six primary cushions are more or less protruding into the lumen of the valve. All of the six primary cushions are of the same size, forming hexaradial symmetry ( Fig. 20A ).

A PC is made of (a) an upstream spiny part (16–36% of total length) with relatively strong spines, (b) a middle spiny part (26–43% of total length) with somewhat weaker spines and with 14–23 lateral supporting bristles on each side, (c) a bristly part (13–27% of total length) with 45–65 straight or curved and apparently soft bristles on a low crest, and (d) a symmetric sclerotised spatula with two right or acute angles (13–27% of total length) bearing some short spines and, on each side, some 10–15 very short tooth-like setae ( Fig. 11I, 11 I’).

The secondary cushions are either narrow in their upstream end, widen downstream and sketch spearheads ( Fig. 20A ), or are about twice as wide as the primary cushions, with their largest widths located in the upstream fourth or third, narrowing noticeably downstream with a homogeneous spine scattering.

This valve pattern is therefore characterised by six spatulae in the workers’ and soldiers’ valves and by the workers’ SCs which are either rather narrow or with a spearhead shape; most species are large.

Material examined

Eight species have such enteric valves:

Figures

Fig. 20. A. Enteric valve of the “sulcifrons valve pattern”, from a worker of Cubitermes sulcifrons Wasmann, 1911: note the spearhead-shape of the secondary cushions; B. Idem from a soldier of C. sulcifrons; C. Idem from an imago of C. umbratus Williams, 1954, spatulae are sketched on each PC; A, B and C at the same scale; D. Geographical distribution of species with the sulcifrons valve pattern.

Fig. 11. Representative primary cushions of the various patterns encountered in the workers of the genus Cubitermes; WVPD = downstream bristly part; WVPM = middle spiny part; WVPS = spatula; WVPU = upstream spiny part. A. PC1 of the bilobatus valve pattern. B. PC1 of the oculatus valve pattern. C. any odd PC of the bilobatodes valve pattern. D. PC1 of the muneris valve pattern. E. PC6 and PC1 of the fungifaber valve pattern. E’. PC3 of the fungifaber valve pattern, twisted and partly seen in profile. F. PC1 of the finitimus valve pattern. F’. PC3 of the finitimus valve pattern, twisted and seen in profile. G. PC3 of the sankurensis valve pattern. H and H’. PC3 and PC4 of the oblectatus valve pattern. I. Any PC of the sulcifrons valve pattern. I’. Any PC of the sulcifrons valve pattern, twisted and seen in profile. All drawings to the same scale.