Rinacapritermes silvius Amina & Rajmohana 2022, n. sp.
Creators: name: Amina, Poovoli
name: Rajmohana, Keloth
name: Dinesh, K. P.
name: Asha, Gopalan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Termitidae
Rinacapritermes
Rinacapritermes silvius

description: Rinacapritermes silvius Amina & Rajmohana n. sp.
(Figs 1; 3; 7A; Table 1)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8C629647-1999-45D7-BAB7-F16A1C792D1C
TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype (Soldier). India • Kerala, Ernakulam, Urulanthanni (Thattekadu Bird Sanctuary); 10°7’41”N, 76°45’18”E; 5.I.2015; Amina Poovoli leg.; Colony code:ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV/4610. Paratypes (12 soldiers, 10 workers). India • 10 soldiers, same data as for holotype • 10 workers; same data as for holotype • 2 soldiers; Kerala, Idukki (Thekkady, in Periyar Tiger Reserve); 9°27’43”N, 77°14’12”E; 6.IV.2013; K. Rajmohana & party leg.; Colony code: ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV/4611.
Sequenced specimens. Same as paratypes.
ETYMOLOGY. — The species epithet name is derived from the latin term ‘silvius’ meaning forest as the new species was predominant in forested habitat.
DNA BARCODE. — Rinacapritermes silvius Amina & Rajmohana, n. gen., n. sp. is showing sister relationship with Rinacapritermes abundans n. sp. exhibiting genetic divergence of 7.3% to 8.3% for COI gene (Fig. 4). Both the species can easily be distinguished morphologically (see key below) and both the species type localities are isolated in range of distribution (Fig. 5).
DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA. — From two adjoining districts of Kerala (Ernakulam and Idukki); could be a limited-range endemic species restricted to south of Palghat Gap.
DESCRIPTION
Imago
Not known
Soldier (Fig. 1 A-E; Table 1)
Monomorphic. Head capsule pale yellowish brown; fontanelle gland area pale yellow; antennae paler than head; labrum translucent at arterial and lateral part and pale yellow on rest; left mandible blackish brown; right mandible reddish brown; legs and body whitish yellow.
Head Capsule. Moderately hairy with long and a few short hairs. Antennal segments with long and short hairs on entire surface; labrum with a few hairs on anterior part; postmentum with a very few short hairs at distal third. Anterior margin of pronotum with 5-8 long hairs. Body densely hairy with long hairs; legs covered with long hairs, more concentrated at last tarsal segments.
Head capsule in dorsal view. Subrectangular; sides substraight, slightly narrowing at anterior end; minimum width being at base of mandibles; posterior margin rounded. Frons sharply inclining in front; median suture of head short, extending up to 1/4 of head-length from posterior margin; fontanelle transverse, situated anteriorly at distal 1/5 of head; fontanelle gland large, extending beyond middle of head. Antennae with 15 segments; segment 2 longer than 3; segment 4 slightly longer than or sometimes subequal to 3; segment 3 sometimes shortest; 5-10 gradually increasing in length and remaining segments subequal. Labrum slightly asymmetrical; anterior margin substraight with broad based, robust and long antero-lateral points. Mandibles strongly asymmetrical; left mandible strongly twisted at middle; with blunt apex. Right mandible blade-like with sharp, pointed apex, facing upward; inner margin of right mandible incurved at middle region; apical blade substraight. Postmentum club-shaped; length more than 1/2 of head length; with a narrow waist lying posteriorly.
Title. Pronotum saddle-shaped, anterior and posterior margin without any notch. Legs with 3:2:2 apical tibial spurs; outer spur not very distinct.
Abdomen. Elongated; cerci short; 2 segmented.
Worker (n = 5)
Monomorphic. Head capsule, antennae, postclypeus whitish yellow; thorax and legs paler than head; abdomen translucent with intestinal contents showing through. Head capsule moderately hairy with many long and short hairs, post clypeus with long hairs and body sparsely hairy with a few long hairs and very short hairs. Total body length 3.9-4.40 mm.
Head. Subcircular; length to tip of labrum 1.13-1.23 mm, length to base of mandible 0.68-0.76 mm and maximum width 0.88-0.92 mm; width of head capsule widest at base of mandibles. Epicranial suture slightly distinct; fontanelle plate translucent and oval. Antennae with 14-15 segments; segment 3 shortest; segment 2 longer than 3 and 4. Postclypeus swollen; almost straight anteriorly and rounded posteriorly; length less than half of width (length 0.19-0.22 mm; width 0.45-0.47 mm).
Mandible (Fig. 1F). As for genus.
Digestive tube. As for genus.
Pronotum. Saddle-shaped (length 0.24-0.26 mm; width 0.48-0.53 mm); anterior and posterior lobe without notch. Legs with 3:2:2 apical tibial spurs; dorsal spur of foretibia at times indistinct; foretibia somewhat swollen.
REMARKS
Dorsal spur of fore tibia is sometimes indistinct. So both the 3:2:2 and 2:2:2 conditions are seen in the soldiers as well as the workers of the same colony.
description: Published as part of Amina, Poovoli, Rajmohana, Keloth, Dinesh, K. P. & Asha, Gopalan, 2022, Integrative taxonomic studies on Rinacapritermes Amina & Rajmohana, n. gen. (Blattodea: Isoptera: Termitidae) with two new species from India, pp. 109-124 in Zoosystema 44 (3) on pages 112-114, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2022v44a3, http://zenodo.org/record/6080151