12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL, MUSEUM. vol.64. 



Genus LEUCOTERMES Silvestri. 



This genus was established in 1901 with Hagen's tenuis as the type 

 species. Apparently it is closely related to the genus Reticulitermes 

 Holmgren — more closely than Mr. Banks realized when he stated 

 (1920) that our common species of Reticvlitermes are not congeneric 

 with the type species of Leucotermes. One divergent character from 

 Reticulitermes emphasized by Banks was the absence of ocelli in the 

 type specimen of tenuis; however, the species has ocelli variably 

 absent or present. Another factor was that the margins of the wings 

 are ciliate in Leucotermes, whereas in Reticulitermes, Prorhinotermes 

 Silvestri, and also in Rhinotermes Hagen they are not ciliate; how- 

 ever, the wing margins are ciliate in Coptotermes Wasmann, which, 

 nevertheless, has a subcordate pronotum and is contained in Holm- 

 gren's family Mesotermitidae. 



Without specimens of the winged adult, it is difficult to distinguish 

 species in these two genera. In 1920^ I described a termite from 

 southern Arizona as Reticulitermes aureus from dealated adults. 

 This termite had been collected flying at night and I emphasized this 

 biological fact and the unusually light color. Later I received 

 winged adults; the wings are ciliate and it is plainly a Leucotermes; 

 species of Leucotermes fly at night. 



The soldiers of species of Leucotermes usually have the mandibles 

 more slender and elongate than in species of Reticulitermes, where 

 they are usually more robust and curved at the tip (that is, more S 

 shaped) , except in case of the species R. Jiumilis Banks and R. hqferi 

 Banks. 



Species of both Reticulitermes and Leucotermes construct earth-like 

 carton shelter tubes both attached and in some cases free; that is, 

 constructed into the air and not supported except at the base. 



The first form queen of species of Leucotermes is larger and less 

 active than in species of Reticulitermes; a queen of tenuis from Panama 

 measures 22 mm. in length and 4.5 mm. in width. 



The genus Leucotermes should be placed in the family Rhinoter- 

 mitidae, which will supplant Holmgren's family Mesotermitidae, 

 which has no contained genus "Mesotermes." The shape of the 

 pronotum is subcordate, as in this family, whereas it is saddle-shaped 

 in the family Termitidae (Holmgren's Metatermitidae) . The fact 

 that the post-clypeus is three times as broad as long would place it in 

 the subfamily Rhinotermitinae, according to Banks' key (1920, p. 10) 

 (my term ''post-clypeus" being equivalent to Banks' "clypeus"); 

 however, the wing margins are ciliate as in Coptotermes, which should 

 also be placed in the family Rhinotermitidae. The guts of species of 



' 1920. Snyder, T. E. Two New Termites from Arizona. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., vol. 22, No. 2, Feb- 

 ruary, pp. 38-40 (pp. 39-40, A Reticulitermes flying at night in Arizona). 



