A new genus and species of termites (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) from the rainforest of northern Peru

By

Cuezzo, Carolina
Nickle, David A.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2011

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

159

Pages

1-9

Subjects

enteric valve configuration , gut coiling , Peruvian rainforest , Subulitermes-group , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.159.2311

 

Abstract

A new genus and species of nasutitermitine termites are described and illustrated, based on soldier and worker characters. Sinqasapatermes gen. n., can be distinguished from all other nasutitermitine genera by its singular worker gut coiling and enteric valve characters: distal margin of the enteric valve not everted into the paunch but bending towards the ileum, that is, directed against the flow of food; enteric valve armature with one ring of six equal subtriangularly-shaped ridges, each ridge with short spines on the entire surface; enteric valve armature situated on external face of cone, facing the internal ileum wall; enteric valve seating tri-lobed and separated from remaining portion of the paunch; paunch subdivided. Sinqasapatermes sachae sp. n., was collected on a tree in a very narrow flattened tunnel that was well concealed beneath lichens in a northern Peru rainforest (Arcadia, Loreto Province).