Sinqasapatermes sachae, Cuezzo, Carolina & Nickle, David A., 2011

Cuezzo, Carolina & Nickle, David A., 2011, A new genus and species of termites (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) from the rainforest of northern Peru, ZooKeys 159, pp. 1-9 : 4-5

Sinqasapatermes sachae sp. n. Figs 115

Type material.

Holotype soldier, in alcohol, separate in a microvial. Original typewritten label: "PERU, Loreto, Arcadia, 0°59.37'S, 75°18.55'W, 150m, 31 Oct-10 Nov. 1993 leg., D.A. Nickle & J. Lewis; Castana 227; E66". Holotype will be deposited at the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru (MUSM). Paratypes: 12 soldiers and 14 workers with same data as holotype. Paratypes will be deposited as follows: five soldiers and six workers at the MUSM, five soldiers and six workers as part of lot no. USNM 10601 at the USNM; two soldiers and two workers as part of lot no. MZUSP 13095 at the MZUSP.

Type locality.

PERU, Loreto Province: Arcadia, 0°59.37'S, 75°18.55'W, 190m. Type material was collected on a tree in a very narrow flattened tunnel that was well concealed beneath green/white lichens at the rainforests of northern Peru. The tunnel was not obvious.

Diagnosis.

Monotypic genus - see generic diagnosis.

Description.

Imago. Unknown.

Soldier (Figs 1-2). Head capsule with scattered long bristles and a few short hairs. Nasus with four shorter bristles and a few microscopic hairs near apex. Labrum with four short hairs. Postclypeus and postmentum glabrous. Thoracic nota and abdominal tergite I glabrous. Tergite II with a few long bristles at posterior margin; tergites III–X with several long bristles at posterior margin; IX–X tergites with bristles and hairs distributed on entire surface. Sternites with more bristles than tergites. Legs with two long bristles, first proximal and second at middle on external surface of all tibiae; short hairs on internal surface of all tibiae. Head capsule yellow; nasus reddish; antenna yellow with articles III–IV reddish; thoracic nota pale yellow; digestive tube visible through abdominal sclerites. Measurements (mm) of six soldiers are given as ranges, followed by holotype values in parentheses: LH, 0.85-0.90 (0.88); LHp, 0.46-0.49 (0.48); WH, 0.43-0.48 (0.48); HH, 0.30-0.32 (0.32); WP, 0.25-0.27 (0.26); LT, 0.48-0.51 (0.49). Ratios: LH/WH, 1.83-1.98 (1.83); LH/LT, 1.74-1.80; LHp/LT, 0.94-0.98 (0.98).

Worker (Figs 3-15). Head capsule with numerous erect bristles and few short hairs over entire surface. Postclypeus with six bristles at anterior margin; labrum with numerous bristles. Pronotum with few short hairs on both margins; mesonotum with four bristles and metanotum with six bristles. Tergites with decumbent bristles over surface plus few erect bristles toward posterior margin. Sternites with decumbent bristles over surface plus erect ones at posterior margin. Legs with two long bristles, first proximal and second at middle on external surface of all tibiae among shorter ones. Head capsule and thoracic nota whitish; digestive tube visible through abdominal sclerites. Mandibles and digestive tube, under genus description. Measurements (mm) of seven workers are given as ranges: WH, 0.48-0.50; DA–M 1+2, 0.05-0.06; LT, 0.44-0.48. Ratio: WH/LT, 1.04-1.14.

Etymology.

Noun in apposition taken from Quechua, sacha, meaning forest.

Remarks.

Figs 5 and 7 illustrate two sets of mandibles, which represent variation among workers of Sinqasapatermes sachae from the same sample. Those workers have not differentiation in coloration, pilosity, size or any other morphological characteristic to assume they belong to different instars.