Ruptitermes cangua, Acioli, Agno Nonato Serrão & Constantino, Reginaldo, 2015

Acioli, Agno Nonato Serrão & Constantino, Reginaldo, 2015, A taxonomic revision of the neotropical termite genus Ruptitermes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae), Zootaxa 4032 (5), pp. 451-492 : 463-465

Ruptitermes cangua , new species

Holotype: worker from lot UnB-2570.

Type-locality: BRAZIL: Rondônia: Vilhena (lat 12.6614S long 60.1236W)

Type-repository: UnB.

Paratypes: BRAZIL: Goiás: Cavalcante, Fazenda Miraflores, 10.ii.2015, R. Constantino col., workers (UnB- 10520). Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães, 06.ii.1976, R.L. Araujo col., workers (MZSP-6848). Rondônia: Vilhena, 28.vii.2000, R. Constantino col., workers, same colony as holotype (UnB-2570).

Etymology. From the Tupi word “ cangua ”, rounded head, referring to the shape of the worker head. Imago. Unknown.

Worker ( Figs. 7 , 22 E, 24H–I). Head capsule large and rounded, reddish brown, paler anteriorly, with sparse bristles and hairs of variable size. Postclypeus flattened, light brown, with 2–3 bristles on each lobe. Fontanelle large, rounded, and convex, paler than head capsule, with fuzzy border. Frontal marks inconspicuous. Mandibles similar to those of R. xanthochiton ; notch of left mandible about 60°. Thoracic nota light brown, paler than head capsule; pronotum with bristles along all margins and some bristles on surface; meso- and metanotum with a row of bristles on posterior margin and several bristles on surface, usually arranged in a transversal, irregular row near middle. Procoxa with more than 10 spine-like bristles of variable size on anterior surface, arranged along an elliptical line; outer ones larger ( Fig. 7 C). Meso- and metacoxa without spine-like bristles. Protibia moderately inflated, with two irregular rows of spine-like bristles along inner margin ( Fig. 7 B, 7C). Forefemur with two distinct lines of spine-like bristles along inner margin separated by a flat, pale surface. Tergites light brown, about the same color of thoracic nota, with many bristles and dense short hairs on entire surface. Dehiscent glands large, filling about 1/5 of the abdomen. Enteric valve unsclerotized; ridges elongate, reticulated with pentagonal or hexagonal cells; cells are larger near margins and become smaller towards middle; central region of each ridge with small scale-like cells, each with a minute point on posterior border ( Fig. 24 H–I). Measurements in Table 2 .

Comparisons. The most similar workers are those of R. xanthochiton , which are about the same size and have similar chaetotaxy. The workers of R. cangua are more sclerotized, with darker head, thorax and tergites, and their dehiscent glands are proportionately smaller. The enteric valve differs in the central region of the ridges, which has larger cells in R. xanthochiton , and few of them have minute spines on posterior border ( Fig. 25 J).

Distribution. Known from a few localities in the Cerrado region of central Brazil ( Fig. 27 ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Worker of Ruptitermes cangua, sp. n. A, habitus; B, protibia; C, procoxae; D, head in profile; E, head in dorsal view; F, mandibles.

FIGURE 22. Worker heads of Ruptitermes, showing pilosity. All figures in the same scale.

FIGURE 24. Enteric valve armature of workers of Ruptitermes. A, R. araujoi; B – D, R. arboreus; E – F, R. atyra; G, R. bandeirai; H – I, R. cangua; J – K, R. franciscoi. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 25. Enteric valve armature of workers of Ruptitermes. A, R. krishnai; B – C, R. maraca; D, R. piliceps; E – F, R. pitan; G – H, R. reconditus; I – J, R. xanthochiton. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 27. Geographic range of Ruptitermes bandeirai, sp. n., R. cangua, sp. n., R. franciscoi (Snyder 1959), new combination, R. kaapora, sp. n., and Ruptitermes krishnai, sp. n.