Ebogotermes raphaeli Scheffrahn & Roisin & Akama & Šobotník 2021, sp. n.
Creators: name: Scheffrahn, Rudolf H.
name: Roisin, Yves
name: Akama, Pierre Dieudonné
name: Šobotník, Jan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Termitidae
Ebogotermes
Ebogotermes raphaeli

description: Ebogotermes raphaeli Scheffrahn & Roisin sp. n.
Type Material. Holotype worker, Cameroon, Ebogo II, Jan Šobotník, University of Florida Termite Collection no. AFR3551 (Scheffrahn 2019), with 12 other workers (paratypes). Primary forest near Ebogo II village, 24FEB2019 (CZU no. Cam19-1_PG_75). Paratype workers, J. Šobotník, primary forest near Ebogo II, (3.3820, 11.4632), elev. 677 m, UFTC no. AFR3617 (subsample of CAM20 _PG_002). Paratype workers, Y. Roisin and J. Romero Arias, primary forest near Ebogo II, (3.3825, 11.4632), elev. 685 m, 7JUN2017 (ULB collection no. CMRT172), to be deposited in the Africa Museum (formerly Royal Museum of Central Africa, RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium.
Type locality. Cameroon, Lekié, Ebogo, lat 3.3820, long 11.4632, elev. 677 m.
Diagnosis. The genus diagnosis will probably be consistent with any future new Ebogotermes species, however the EVA, the most diverse character in the Apicotermitinae, should reveal diagnostic differences.
Worker (Figs. 1–4). Very large. In lateral view (Fig. 1A), postclypeus moderately inflated; anterior lobe of pronotum tall, anterior rim covered with a field of small, uniform setae, posterior covered with about 35 setae of varying lengths. Posterior lobe of pronotum angled about 80° from anterior lob. In dorsal view (Fig. 1B), head capsule covered with about 40 setae of varying lengths; fontanelle and large anterior frontal glands lighter than remainder of vertex. Mandibular dentition as in Fig. 2B. Fore tibia weakly inflated, about five time longer than wide. (Fig. 2C); about eight spines along inner margin, and three terminal spines; outer spine smallest. Antennal articles 1-4 about equal in length, article 5 and beyond wider and slightly longer. Mesenteric tongue of mixed segment lies along the inner side of the midgut ring (Fig. 3C). First proctodeal segment (P1) tubular, at least 2.5X long as wide (Fig. 3D). Second proctodeal segment (P2) armature does not extend into the lumen of the P3; EVA (Fig. 4B) consists of six cushions of similar shape that are either slightly larger or smaller than their neighbor. The anterior margin of each cushion is hemispherical while the posterior margin (pointing to the P3 lumen) is slightly sclerotized and forms a 90° pouch. The surface of each cushion is adorned with ca. 70-140 scales rounded and broad near base of cushion, then narrowing into a tiny spine distally (Fig. 4C). Orientation of P2 to P3 180°; P2 seating spheriform, without lobes. Third proctodeal segment (P3) expanding posteriorly from P2 seating lobe into voluminous main chamber (Fig. 3C) which bends to right and thins at P3/P4 isthmus at dorsal anterior. Fourth proctodeal segment (P4) long, narrow, and tubular, winding from isthmus around the anterior P3 for 180°, then bending posteriorly under P3, and finally bending 180° around the middle of P3 from ventral side to terminate at P 5 in dorsum. Measurements in Table 1.
Etymology. Named for Raphael Awoumou Onana, the chief of Ebogo village, a resilient guide, and expert on Cameroonian termites.
description: Published as part of Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., Roisin, Yves, Akama, Pierre Dieudonné & Šobotník, Jan, 2021, Ebogotermes raphaeli, new genus and new species, an African soldierless termite described from the worker caste (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae), pp. 279-284 in Zootaxa 5067 (2) on pages 280-282, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5067.2.10, http://zenodo.org/record/5677665