Zophotermes Engel

Engel, Michael S., Grimaldi, David A., Nascimbene, Paul C. & Singh, Hukam, 2011, The termites of Early Eocene Cambay amber, with the earliest record of the Termitidae (Isoptera), ZooKeys 148, pp. 105-123 : 109-111

Zophotermes Engel gen. n.

Type species.

Zophotermes ashoki Engel & Singh, sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Imago: Head not flattened, narrow oval in shape, with sides somewhat parallel (appears similar to condition in Heterotermitinae but there is some compression which may be obscuring slightly roundish borders), posterior margin even; postclypeus without nose-like projection, without groove from fontanelle to apex of labrum, short relative to width, somewhat arched (as in Prorhinotermitinae ); compound eyes small; ocelli present. Pronotum flat, narrower than head, anterior margin with medial emargination (Fig. 5); tibial spurs 2-2-2 (3-2-2 in Prorhinotermes Silvestri, Psammotermitinae , and Heterotermitinae ); tarsi tetramerous. Forewing with scale overlapping hind wing scale; M branching from CuA outside of scale (Fig. 5) (as in Prorhinotermitinae and Psammotermitinae ); wing membrane with relatively few setae (as in Prorhinotermitinae ).

Etymology.

The new genus-group name is a combination of zophos (Greek, meaning, "nether world" or “gloom”), and Termes, type genus of the Termitidae . The name is masculine.