Rhynchotermes is a genus of
neotropical higher termites within the subfamily
Syntermitinae
The Syntermitinae is a neotropical subfamily of mandibulate nasute termites in the family Termitidae which contains 18 genera and 101 species. Majority of members in this subfamily have a soldier caste with a conspicuous horn-like projection from t ...
, represented by 8 known species.
Species of this genus are known for their soldiers which have highly developed, curved mandibles and a pronounced frontal tube superficially analogous to the
fontanellar guns of
true nasute termites. Most species forage above the surface in the open where they primarily feed on forest leaf litter. Nests are subterranean or are shallow and epigeic.
Description
Worker, Soldier and Imago have antennae with 14 articles (antennomeres) with the first and third articles longer than the second.
Soldiers are smaller than workers, are either monomorphic or dimorphic and the head capsule is rounded to a near pear shape. The inner margins of the mandibles are either serrated or smooth, strongly or evenly curved and the inner marginal tooth is conical. Apical extent of mandibles either weakly overlapping or evenly distanced when closed. The frontal tube about the same length of the head or longer and always covering the post-clypeus in dorsal view. Forecoxa process often pronounced and subcylindrical.
Worker head capsule is rounded when viewed dorsally and flattened dorso-ventrally; head is highly sclerotized. Left mandible with small apical tooth slightly shorter than M1+2, cutting margin between tip of M1+2 and third marginal tooth and molar prominence with 5–6 developed ridges. Right mandible with apical tooth almost equal in size to M1, acute angle between them, M1 and M2 robust and molar plate with 5–6 ridges. Intestines visible; abdomen transparent.
Species are distributed widely throughout the Neotropics, being found in
Argentina,
Belize,
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
,
Brazil,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
,
Ecuador,
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
,
Panama,
Paraguay and
Peru.
Species
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Rhynchotermes amazonensis''
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Rhynchotermes bulbinasus''
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Rhynchotermes diphyes''
# ''
Rhynchotermes matraga''
# ''
Rhynchotermes nasutissimus''
# ''
Rhynchotermes perarmatus''
# ''
Rhynchotermes piauy
Rhynchotermes is a genus of neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Syntermitinae, represented by 8 known species. Species of this genus are known for their soldiers which have highly developed, curved mandibles and a pronounced front ...
''
# ''
Rhynchotermes armatus
Rhynchotermes is a genus of neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Syntermitinae, represented by 8 known species. Species of this genus are known for their soldiers which have highly developed, curved mandibles and a pronounced front ...
''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16625274
Termites