Glyptotermes paleoliberatus, Engel & Krishna, 2007

Engel, Michael S. & Krishna, K., 2007, Drywood termites in Dominican amber (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (2), pp. 263-275 : 266

Glyptotermes paleoliberatus , sp. n. ( Figs 3 - 4 )

Diagnosis:

The fossil differs from G. liberatusliberatus in that the wing membrane is hyaline except for the nodule apices (infuscate in the modern species) and the Y-shaped coronal lines are complete (coronal lines only evident as a single line posteriorly in the modern species). Glyptotermes paleoliberatus differs from the only other GlyptotermesGlyptotermes present in Dominican amber, G. grimaldii (vide infra), in its larger size; black integument; granulose head capsule; second antennal article distinctly longer than the individual lengths of the third and fourth articles; and pigmented apices to the nodulations of the wing membrane.

Description:

Imago. Head and pronotum black ( Figs 3-4 ), integument of head granulose; antennae dark brown, legs light brown. Head and pronotum with widely scattered, fine, short setae; costal margin of wing scale without setae, surface of scale with a few fine, short setae. Lateral margins of head subparallel, posterior margin evenly rounded; Y-shaped coronal ecdysial cleavage line complete but faint; compound eye rounded, small, in lateral aspect separated from posterior border of head by distance greater than compound eye length; ocellus touching compound eye; anteclypeus subtrapezoidal, apical margin straight; postclypeus not demarcated; antenna with 12-14 articles; first article slightly shorter than second article; second article longer than individual lengths of second and third articles; second and third articles approximately equal in length, slightly transverse. Pronotum as wide as head; anterior margin shallowly concave; lateral margins gently and evenly curved, subparallel; posterolateral corners broadly rounded, posterior margin evenly rounded. Tibial spur formula 3-3-3; arolium present. Forewing membrane hyaline, with numerous pigmented nodulations ( Fig. 4 ).

Holotype:

Imago ( Fig. 3 ), DR-14-647, Early Miocene (Burdigalian) amber, Dominican Republic (specific mine unknown).

Paratypes:

Six paratype imagoes, DR-8-335, DR-10-1545, DR-14-647, DR-10-1516, DR-10-1251, and PB-272, Early Miocene (Burdigalian) amber, Dominican Republic (specific mine unknown). All specimens deposited in the Amber Fossil Collection, Division of Invertebrate Zoology , American Museum of Natural History, New York .

Etymology:

The specific epithet is a reference to this species being the fossil analog of G. liberatusliberatus in the West Indian fauna.

Figures

Figs 1-3: Photomicrographs of genera of Dominican amber Kalotermitidae (Isoptera). – 1 Holotype imago of Incisitermes peritusperitus sp. n. (DR-8-340). – 2 Holotype imago of Cryptotermes glaesariusglaesarius sp. n. (AMNH, no acc. no.). – 3 Holotype imago of Glyptotermes paleoliberatuspaleoliberatus sp. n. (DR-14-647).

Figs 4- 5: Photomicrographs of holotype imagoes for Dominican amber Glyptotermes. – 4 Glyptotermes paleoliberatuspaleoliberatus sp. n. (DR-14-647). – 5 Glyptotermes grimaldiigrimaldii sp. n. (DR-10-1505).