Cubitermes Josens & Deligne 2019

1. The bilobatus valve pattern group

The workers within this pattern have basic enteric valves: all six primary cushions (PCs) are similar in their arrangement (Fig. 12A). In the upstream and middle spiny parts, they are armed with relatively strong spines, becoming gradually thinner downstream; moreover, the middle part bears some lateral supporting spindle-like bristles leaning on the funnel membrane. In the downstream bristly part, the spines are rather abruptly replaced with longer and bristle-like setae, first straight, then curved and eventually hooked. The PCs are roughly triangular: their largest width is generally located near their upstream end and their lateral margins converge gradually downstream until the bristly part where they remain parallel (Fig. 11A). The enteric valve shows hexaradial to triradial symmetry, the odd PCs often being somewhat longer than the even PCs. In some cases, PC1 is still longer than PC3 and PC5, tending towards bilateral symmetry.

Workers (counts) Code Range (Nb)Fore coxa: number of spines on carina WCx1CN 0–20 Fore coxa: number of spines on fore side WCx1SN 0–4 Valve: number of bristles on PC1 downstream part WVP1DBN 15–160 Valve: number of lateral supporting bristles on PC1 (one side) WVP1SBN 3–37Workers (raw data) Code Range (mm)Head: length to fore edge of postclypeus WHdL 0.67–1.37 Head: width WHdW 0.84–1.55 Mandible (left): length of apical tooth inner side WMlAL 0.08–0.28 Mandible (left): apical to first marginal WMlAmD 0.09–0.27 Mandible (left): apical tooth width at its base WMlAW 0.07–0.20 Mandible (left): functional length WMlL 0.35–0.75 Mandible (left): length of the molar tooth WMlML 0.13–0.25 Mandible (left): first to third marginal WMlmmD 0.08–0.17 Mandible (left): third marginal to molar WMlmMD 0.05–0.12 Mandible (left): width of the first marginal tooth WMlmW 0.03–0.13 Mandible (left): width WMlW 0.26–0.56 Mandible (right): apical to first marginal distance WMrAmD 0.09–0.26 Mandible (right): first to second marginal distance WMrmmD 0.05–0.12 Valve: length of downstream bristly part of PC1 1 WVP1DL 0.09–0.39 Valve: length of PC1 1 WVP1L 0.45–1.04 Valve: length of middle spiny part of PC1 1 WVP1ML 0.04–0.53 Valve: length of upstream spiny part of PC1 1 WVP1UL 0.07–0.57 Valve: width of PC1 2 WVP1W 0.04–0.15 Valve: average length of PCs2 WVP-AvL 0.43–0.85 Valve: average width of PCs2 WVP-AvW 0.04–0.12 Postclypeus: length WPcL 0.24–0.47 Postclypeus: width WPcW 0.52–0.96 Tibia (fore): length WT1L 0.60–1.18 Tibia (fore): maximal width WT1W 0.11–0.25 Tibia (hind): length WT3L 0.84–1.66

1 Excluding the members of the sulcifrons pattern which bear a spatula on PC1

2 Including all PCs of all species (with and without spatulas)

An odd primary cushion (Fig. 11A) is made of (a) a long, upstream, spiny part (38–58% of total length) with relatively strong spines, (b) a short, middle, spiny part (8–15% of total length) with somewhat weaker spines and with few lateral supporting bristles (3–6 on each side), and (c) a long, downstream, bristly part (27–49% of total length) with 15–50 straight or curved short bristles and possibly a few hooked ones (Fig. 11A).

The secondary cushions (SCs) are also armed upstream with spines (less robust than on the primary cushions) and downstream with short bristles; the SCs are wide at the upstream end, narrowing noticeably downstream, in most species with a heterogeneous scattering of the spines (the spines are lacking in some irregular spots) (Fig. 12A), more rarely with a homogeneous scattering of the spines.

In the soldier’s enteric valve, the primary cushions are barely or not at all outlined (Fig. 12B); the lateral supporting bristles are very short or absent and there are few bristles on the downstream end. The secondary cushions are like those of workers but bear less developed spines.

This basic valve pattern is therefore characterised by scarcely developed valves, with very few (± 6) supporting bristles on each side of the PCs and generally heterogeneous spines scattering on the SCs; all of the species are small.

Material examined

Ten taxa have such enteric valves: