The Termites of South Africa 1 7 



Poroiermes is included in the Calotermes group because the 

 biology of our one species, P. planiceps (Sjost), appears some- 

 what similar to that of the remaining genera. It is a genus with 

 only four known representatives, one African, two Australian and 

 one South American. The local species was originally described 

 as a Calotermes. It was transferred to Poroiermes by Holmgren 

 (191 1 ) who created a special subgenus, Planitermes, for its 

 reception. This is a distinction that seems to me to be super- 

 fluous as the genus is so poor in species. Calotermes amahilis 

 Sjostedt is probably the winged form of P. planiceps. 



Schedorhinotermes was created as an independent genus by 

 Silvestri (1908) and subsequently reduced to a subgenus of 

 Rhinotermes sens. lat. by Holmgren (191 1). There is muck to 

 be said in favour of Holmgren's arrangement but, as the typical 

 Rhinotermes are South American, a certain amount of prolixity 

 is avoided by following Silvestri. 



Allodontermes was created by Silvestri (1912). In Holm- 

 gren's classification (1912) it will be found as a subgenus of 

 Protermes s.Iat. If Protermes stands, it may only do so as a 

 subgenus of Altodontermes, the last having admitted priority. 



Macrotermes is the name given by Holmgren (1912) for a 

 section or subgenus of his genus Termes. I propose to ignore 

 the sub-division made by Holmgren, as it appears unnecessary, 

 and call the genus Macrotermes. In creating a genus with 

 Termes hellicosus Smeathman as the type, Holmgren (1912) 

 deliberately gave to it the name Termes. As I inteipret him he 

 says: ** I will no doubt be reproached for disregarding the rules 

 of nomenclature in niaming the species of this genus Termes 

 because the type of Termes is T.capensis or T.fatalis, both of 

 which have been placed by me in the genus Odontotermes.'* On 

 loth pages 32 and 40, " Termitenstudien III " he is at pains to 

 point out that he has wittingly suspended the rules of nomencla- 

 ture and to recommend that his Odontotermes should be called 

 Termes, and a new name given to Termes sensu Holmgren. On 

 this point Banks (1920) makes the following remarks: " Termes 

 was used by Linneus in the tenth edition of his Systema Natujafi— ^^^ 



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