Ruptitermes piliceps Acioli & Constantino, 2015, new species

Ruptitermes piliceps, new species

Holotype: worker from lot UnB-9904

Type-locality: BRAZIL: Goiás: Niquelândia (lat 14.1332S long 48.34W).

Type-repository: UnB.

Paratypes: BRAZIL: Goiás: Catalão, iii.2005, D.E. Oliveira col., workers (UnB-10001). Mineiros, ii.2005, D.E. Oliveira col., workers (UnB-10002). Niquelândia, 17.vi.2006, D.G. Pinheiro col., workers (UnB-9903, UnB- 9904, UnB-9905, UnB-9906). Maranhão: São Luís, Maracanã, 03.iv.2011, G.S. Anjos col., workers (UnB-9176). São Luís, Rangedor, 15.v.2011, G.S. Anjos col., workers (UnB-9177). Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães, APM Manso, 15.v.1988, K. Kitayama col., workers (UnB-1178). Chapada dos Guimarães, 09.ii.1976, R.L. Araujo col., workers (MZSP-6830). Cuiabá, 31.x.2003, F.M. Santos col., workers (UnB-4521). Juruena, 06.vii.2002, R. Constantino col., workers (UnB-3411). Pará: Tucuruí, 11.iv.1984, A.G. Bandeira col., workers (MPEG-2066).

Etymology. From the Latin word “pilus”, hair and “ceps”, head, referring to the hairy head of the workers.

Imago. Unknown.

Worker (Figs. 14, 22 J, 25D). Head capsule rounded, light brown, paler anteriorly, with sparse bristles and numerous short hairs inclined anteriorly. Postclypeus inflated, paler than head capsule, with one long bristle near the center of each lobe and several hairs of variable size distributed irregularly. Fontanelle rounded or elliptical, paler than head capsule. Frontal marks oval, paler than posterior region of head capsule. Mandibles similar to those of R. xanthochiton; notch on left mandible forming an angle of about 45°. Thoracic nota light brown, paler than head capsule, with bristles along margins only, and not short hairs. Procoxa with 5 spine-like bristles on anterior surface, arranged along a curved line (Fig. 14 C). Meso- and metacoxa without spine-like bristles. Profemur without thick bristles on inner margin, with many thin bristles of variable size arranged irregularly. Protibia slender, not inflated, with two irregular rows of spine-like bristles along inner margin (Fig. 14 B). Tergites light brown, same color as thoracic nota, with two rows bristles and many short hairs on surface. Dehiscent glands small, usually reaching only the first abdominal segment. Enteric valve unsclerotized; ridges short, reticulated with large, faint pentagonal or hexagonal cells; cells become smaller and faint on a raised region located on the anterior part of the ridge (Fig. 25 D). Measurements in Table 2.

Comparisons. The worker of R. piliceps is smaller and has more hairs on the head than most other species. The worker of R. krishnai, sp.n, is larger and the hairs on tergites are very short, nearly microscopic, while in R. piliceps they are longer and conspicuous.

Distribution. Occurs in a large area from central to northern Brazil (Fig. 28). Most records are from forest habitats.