Termitohospitini Seevers, 1941

Kanao, Taisuke, Eldredge, K. Taro & Maruyama, Munetoshi, 2012, Two new genera and species of the termite symbiont lineage Termitohospitini (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from Bolivia and peninsular Malaysia, ZooKeys 254, pp. 67-87 : 68

Termitohospitini Seevers, 1941

Type genus:

Termitohospes Seevers, 1941.

Diagnosis.

Members of the tribe Termitohospitini most closely resemble the tribe Myllaenini and Masuriini (sensu Ahn and Ashe 2004), and are hypothesized to be closely related based on the following combination of putative synapomorphies: 1) subapical marginal setae of maxillary lacinia with basal, paired cuticular processes (spinose scales of Ahn and Ashe 2004); 2) presence of a unique sensory patch on lateral surface of maxillary palpomere III; 3) anterolateral angles of mentum produced.

Species of Termitohospitini are diagnosable from all other Aleocharinae , including Myllaenini and Masuriini , by the following putative synapomorphies: 1) anterior tentorial arms of the head migrated anteriorly and disassociated from antennal fossae ( Seevers 1941); 2) antennal fossae dorsally obscured by enlarged vertex ( Seevers 1941); 3) maxillary lacinia with basal paired cuticular processes reduced in size; 4) processes of anterolateral angles of mentum reduced in size; 5) ligula broad and reduced in length.