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Issue: Vol. 5583 No. 3: 4 Feb. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-02-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5583.3.9
Page range: 567-578
Abstract views: 65
PDF downloaded: 35

Obtusitermes monomorphus, a new termite species (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) from Panama

Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; University of Florida; Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; 3205 College Avenue; Davie; Florida; 33314; USA
Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology; CP 160/12; Université Libre de Bruxelles; Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50; B—1050 Brussels; Belgium
Essig Museum of Entomology; 1101 VLSB #4780; Berkeley; California; 94720; USA
Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University; 1919-1 Tancha; Onna-son; 904-0495 Okinawa; Japan
Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University; 1919-1 Tancha; Onna-son; 904-0495 Okinawa; Japan
Isoptera monomorphic second proctodeal segment enteric valve armature Obtusitermes panamae Obtusitermes formosulus

Abstract

Obtusitermes monomorphus sp. nov. is described from the monomorphic soldier and worker castes. The two described congeners, O. panamae (Snyder, 1924) and O. formosulus Cuezzo and Cancello, 2009 both have dimorphic soldiers and workers. It is now demonstrated that the major worker hindgut of all three Obtusitermes species are unique among other termite taxa in due to the first proctodeal segment connected to the third proctodeal segment by a very long and tubular enteric valve (second proctodeal segment) with weak armature at both ends and a curvature of 180°. Additionally, Obtusitermes monomorphus is compared with other small monomorphic nasutitermitines of Panama.

 

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