Dentispicotermes trapezia Scheffrahn, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Scheffrahn, Rudolf H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Termitidae
Dentispicotermes
Dentispicotermes trapezia

description: Dentispicotermes trapezia sp. nov.
Dentispicotermes sp. nov. 2, Issa & Scheffrahn 2020 fig. 3.
Dentispicotermes n. sp. 2, Hellemans et al. 2024 fig. 1. GenBank accession no. OL875049.1
Imago. Unknown.
Soldier (Figs. 1, 2, 6). Head capsule in dorsal view (Fig. 1A) narrowing toward anterior, anterolateral corners with stubby knobs; very slight constriction in posterior third; posterior margin evenly convex. In lateral view (Fig. 1B) head ellipsoid with steep frontal protuberance behind antennal sockets; frontal protuberance narrowly trapezoidal (Fig. 2A) and conical in anterior (Fig. 2B) and posterior view (Fig. 1D).
Frontal protuberance with tiny wart-like bump near middle of posterior margin (Fig. 2A) and two curved setae on either side near summit (Fig. 2B); summit without opening. Postmentum extending below genae, but not excessively so. Head capsule with pair of long straight setae on vertex behind protuberance and pair projecting laterally anterior to constriction. Four straight setae on submentum. Mandibles symmetrical, nearly straight with slight bend near bases; apical hooks about one-seventh of mandible lengths. Each mandible with triangular marginal teeth about two fifths length from hooks in lateral view when in resting position (Fig. 6). Thorax and anterior two thirds of abdomen filled with yellow defensive secretion. Antennae with 14 articles, or 15 if third subdivided, article formulae 2>3=4<5 or 2>3=4≤5; Tibial spur formula: 2:2:2.
Measurements. Head capsule length to postclypeus (mm) 1.59, 1.50; left mandible length to ventral condyle 1.54, 1.52; right mandible length to ventral condyle 1.53, 1.52; head width at antennal socket 1.06, 1.05; max. head width 1.30, 1.35; max. head capsule height (postmentum to protuberance) 1.25, 1.17; protuberance height from plane of vertex 0.25, 0.25; max. postmentum width 0.20, 0.19; max. postmentum height, 0.16, 0.16; max. pronotum width, 0.81, 0.78.
Worker (Figs. 3–6). Monomorphic. Abdomen subspherical in dorsal view (Fig. 3A, 6); integument transparent covered with hundreds of long setae. Postclypeus fully inflated in lateral view (Fig. 3D). Pronotum angled ca.100º with anterior lobe larger than posterior; about 8–10 long setae along lobe margins. Tibial spur formula: 2:2:2. Fontanelle barely visible. Head capsule covered with sparse long setae. Antennae with 14 articles, or 15 if third subdivided.
Digestive tube with spherical and large crop developed; mixed segment with narrow mesenteric tongue (Fig. 4A–C); P1 forming a semicircular tube from MS to P2 insertion; P3 large and globous in ventral view (Fig. 4C) dorsal lobe exiting and partially surrounded by P4; P4 long and narrow. Enteric valve armature (Fig. 5B) composed of six anterior and three posterior cushions. Posterior cushions with small spines becoming larger entering gut lumen.Anterior cushions project into gut lumen, finger-like; composed of fleshy outer lobes and inner ridges, ridges with each with about 100 thorny spines. Mandibles of soil-feeding type (Fig. 5A). Left mandible with apical tooth twice the size of M1+2, separated by acute angle; a sinuous margin between M1+2 and M3, M3 much smaller than M1+2; molar prominence without ridges, projecting. Right mandible with apical tooth more than twice the size of M1, M2 much smaller than M1, molar plate without ridges and very concave.
Measurements. Length of head with postclypeus (n=10, min.-max., mean mm) 0.74–0.86, 0.80; max. head width 0.81–0.91, 0.87; length of hind tibia 0.86–0.96, 0.90.
Etymology. “Trapezia” refers to the trapezoidal shape of the frontal protuberance in lateral view.
Diagnosis. Soldiers of D. trapezia sp. nov. are unique among congeners in having a steep frontal protuberance that is narrowly trapezoidal in lateral view and its posterior margin is angled about 60° from plane of the vertex. Dentispicotermes trapezia sp. nov. is closest to D. globicephalus but the protuberance in the latter is triangular in lateral view and its posterior margin is angled about 30° from plane of the vertex. The D. trapezia sp. nov. worker gut and EVA is very similar to other species that I have examined: D. brevicarinatus and D. cupiporanga (Scheffrahn 2019).
Key to Dentispicotermes soldiers
1 Mandibles without marginal teeth (Emerson 1950, fig. 4)......................................... D. brevicarinatus
- Mandibles with marginal teeth........................................................................... 2
2 Apical hook about one-third length of entire mandible.............................................. D. pantanalis
- Apical hook about one-seventh length of entire mandible (Fig. 1A).............................................. 3
3 Right and left marginal teeth offset (Issa & Scheffrahn 2020, fig. 1)................................. D. cupiporanga
- Right and left marginal teeth in-line (Constantino 1999, fig. 151)................................................ 4
4 Protuberance shallow; projecting about one-eighth height of head at vertex (Araujo 1969, fig. 3)............. D. conjunctus
- Protuberance steeper; projecting more than one sixth height of head at vertex (Fig. 1B).............................. 5
5 Protuberance triangular in lateral view, posterior margin angled about 30° from plane of vertex (Constantino 1999, fig. 150)....................................................................................... D. globicephalus
- Protuberance steep, narrowly trapezoidal in lateral view, posterior margin angled about 60° from plane of vertex (Fig. 2A)...................................................................................... .. D. trapezia sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., 2024, Dentispicotermes trapezia (Isoptera: Termitidae: Amitermitinae), a new termite species from the Pantanal-Chaco Region of South America, pp. 447-453 in Zootaxa 5536 (3) on pages 448-452, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5536.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/14239056