Coendutermes tucum Fontes

Coendutermes tucum Fontes

Coendutermes tucum Fontes, 1985: 137 –138 [soldier, p. 137, figs 1–3; probably type 1 worker, p. 137, figs 4–8]; C. tucum, Fontes 1998 (gut coiling, p. 377, figs 57–60).

Type-locality. BRAZIL. Mato Grosso, Iquê-Juruena.

Description. Imago (Figs 1–3). In dorsal view, head capsule subrectangular; frontal area between ocelli slightly depressed. Eyes semispherical rather rounded, very large, but clearly not reaching the lower margin of head capsule. Ocelli elliptical, larger than antennal socket; removed from eyes by a very small length. Fontanelle conspicously slit, slightly forked anteriorly, not depressed. Postclypeus not arched in profile, midline faint; anterior margin of postclypeus straight, but posterior margin slightly convex. Antenna with 15 articles. Mandibles as type 2 workers (see below). Pronotum wider than head without eyes; rather subtrapeizoidal in dorsal view, anterior lateral corners rounded, lateral margins s-shaped, posterior margin straight but slightly emarginated; and midline area elevated, in profile. Posterior margin of meso- and metanotum emarginated; posterolateral corners of meso- and metanotum rounded. Tibial spurs 2:2:2. Head capsule with erect setae, dense short ones projecting toward front. Postclypeus with short hairs and some erect bristles. Pronotum covered with erect and many fine decumbent bristles. Wing scales with erect bristles, more abundant over costal margin, and with shorter decumbent setae over entire surface. Meso- and metanotum with short decumbent bristles. Tergites with dense coverage of short fine decumbent bristles, plus row of erect setae on each posterior margin. Sternites with erect setae over entire surface. Head capsule brown with no visible frontal marks. Postclypeus yellow-brown, paler than head capsule. Labrum yellow-white. Antennal articles yellow-brown. Legs yellowish. Thoracic nota and tergites yellowish brown; sternites lighter-colored than tergites. Range of measurements (mm) from one male and female from MZUSP 16464, and one male and female from MZUSP 19433: LH, 1.17–1.25; WH, 0.90–0.93; OF, 0.58–0.70; DE, 0.63–0.65; LO, 0.20–0.23; WO, 0.28; EOD, 0.03; LP, 0.75–0.80; WP, 1.23–1.28; LT, 2.05–2.13.

Soldier (Figs 4–7). Surface of head capsule, but not nasus, with characteristic “bristles” and several rounded pits each having a central single hole (Figs 6, 7, see arrows).

Worker (Figs 8–14). Two types of workers distinguished. Type 1 and 2 (Figs 8–11), both with gut coiling visible through abdomen. Gizzard with a completely sclerotized cuticular armature, columnar folds I and II ornamented with small blunt and sparse spines, pulvilli I well developed with pectinate scales, and pulvilli II reduced (Fig. 13). Enteric valve armature (P2) weakly sclerotized, organized in two distinct rings with tiny blunt spines covering the cushions; upper or anterior ring (closest to P1 or ileum) with three distinct rather oval cushions (Fig. 14, black arrow); lower or posterior ring (closest to P3 or paunch) with three major cushions alternating with three minor ones (Fig. 14). Ileum (P1) with three lines of tiny blunt spines throughout, joining at the oval cushions of the P2 upper ring (Fig. 14, white arrow), alternated there are three minor ones placed only at the distal part. The type 2 worker differs from type 1 by having the surface of the head capsule with comparatively more erect setae better seen in profile view; mandibles with larger apical teeth, and the third marginal tooth of the left mandible separated from the molar prominence by a wider gap. Also, type 2 worker with a broad pronotum, in dorsal view, and rather equal anterior and posterior lobes, in profile.

Material examined at the MZUSP. Holotype. BRAZIL, MT, Iquê-Juruena, -12.00, -59.5, 23.vi.1980, AE Mill, Estação Ecológica da SEMA (08378). Paratypes. Iquê-Juruena (08379, 0 8380, 08381). SURINAME, Jodensavanne, Suriname River, ca. 50km S de Paramaribo, vi.1956 - vii.1957, MA Knoppe (08382). New records. BRAZIL. Rondônia: Porto Velho, Jirau Hydroelectric Reservoir, Mutum-Paraná / Caiçara, -09.4532420, -64.8529020, 120m, 13.ii.2013, MA Ulysséa & AM Barbão, (16464*, 19433*); -09.4428190, -64.7946220, 98m, 27.vi.2010, TF Carrijo & SP Rosa (15108, 19434, 19435); Caiçara, 12.ix.2010, MM Rocha & VTC Mercado (19437); Mutum-Paraná/Mutum, -09.6100380, - 65.0567380, 103m, 08.ix.2012, TF Carrijo & RG Santos (19438). MZUSP lots represented with * have imagoes besides soldiers and workers.

Remarks. Soldiers from Rondônia, Brazil, fit those considered by Fontes (1985) from Mato Grosso, Brazil, and Jodensavanne, Suriname. In this way, no additional range of measurements is given. Šobotník et al. (2015) reported pits with similar holes at the soldier head capsule of Angularitermes Emerson, suggesting that those holes could be the conducting canals of class 3 secretory cells sensu Noirot & Quennedey’s classification. Functional significance of the characteristic “bristles” described as glandular by Fontes (1985) and the pits as well as their complementary processes on chemical alarm must be studied in Coendutermes.