''Termitaradus mitnicki'' is an extinct species of

true bug Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from to around ...

in the family

Termitaphididae Termitaphididae, occasionally called termite bugs, is a small tropicopolitan family of true bugs placed in the superfamily Aradoidea. Typically members of Termitaphididae are small, being an average of -, and flattened with laminae extending o ...

known only from early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age (geology), age or stage (stratigraphy), stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 annum, Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian (sta ...

stage

Dominican amber Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic derived from resin of the extinct tree ''Hymenaea protera''. Dominican amber differentiates itself from Baltic amber by being nearly always transparent, and it has a higher number of fossil incl ...

deposits on the island of

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

. The species is known from the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

, number "KU-DR-023", a single female specimen currently deposited in the

University of Kansas Natural History Museum The University of Kansas Natural History Museum is part of the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, a KU designated research center dedicated to the study of the life of the planet. The museum's galleries are in Dyche Hall on the unive ...

collections in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, where it was studied and described by Michael S. Engel. Engel published his 2009

type description A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

for ''T. mitnicki'' in journal ''

ZooKeys ''ZooKeys'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering zoological taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography. It was established in 2008 and the editor-in-chief is Terry Erwin (Smithsonian Institution). It is published by Pensoft Publ ...

'' volume number 25. The species name ''mitnicki'' honors Tyler Mitnick, nephew of the specimen donor. ''T. mitnicki'' is the third species of ''Termitaradus'' to be identified from the fossil record and the one of three species identified from Dominican amber, the other two being '' T. avitinquilinus'', described earlier in 2009 and '' T. dominicanus'' described in 2011. The eight living species are found worldwide in the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It is probable that ''T. mitnicki'', like modern species of ''Termitaradus'', was

inquiline In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin ''inquilinus'', "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the h ...

, living in the nests of host species of

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

s, though the host species is unknown. Modern species of ''Termitaradus'', where the host termite is known, live with members of the family

Rhinotermitidae Rhinotermitidae is a family of termites (Isoptera). They feed on wood and can cause extensive damage to buildings or other wooden structures. About 345 species are recognized, among these are severe pests such as '' Coptotermes formosanus'', ''Co ...

, however a possible host of ''T. avitinquilinus'' is the extinct termite ''

Mastotermes electrodominicus ''Mastotermes'' is a genus of termites. The sole living species is ''Mastotermes darwiniensis'', found only in northern Australia. A number of extinct taxa are known from fossils. It is a very peculiar insect, the most primitive termite alive. ...

'', the type specimens being preserved associated with a worker ''M. electrodominicana''. While modern ''Termitaradus'' species are small, being an average of , ''T. mitnicki'' is the third largest species known at 5.8 mm long. The second largest is ''T. dominicanus'' at and the largest species is the Miocene Mexican amber species '' T. protera'' with a length of . Typical of ''Termitaradus'', ''T. mitnicki'' is flattened with laminae extending out from each body segment, giving a round, scale-like appearance confirming the genus placement. The other genus in Termataphididae, '' Termitaphis'', has an egg-shaped body rather than the flattened body of ''Termitaradus'' species. ''T. mitnicki'' can be identified from other species through several characteristics, notably the distinctive network of ridges on the top of the insect, which do not extend to the edges of the laminae. The general coloration is reddish-brown, lightening as towards the edges of the laminae with pale yellow

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3518483 Aradoidea Burdigalian life Neogene Dominican Republic Miocene insects of North America Prehistoric insects of the Caribbean Fauna of Hispaniola Insects of the Dominican Republic Fossils of the Dominican Republic Dominican amber Fossil taxa described in 2009 Taxa named by Michael S. Engel