Rustitermes boteroi, a new genus and species of soldierless termites (Blattodea, isoptera, apicotermitinae) from South America

Abstract

We present the description of a new genus and species of soldierless termites from South America. Rusti-termes boteroi Constantini, Castro & Scheffrahn, gen. et sp. nov. can be identified by the morphology of the enteric valve, with six slightly asymmetric cushions, each one forming a central pouch made of scales smaller than those between the cushions. The new genus features two characteristic rows of thick bristles on the interior margin of the fore tibia, and is supported by COI molecular sequence data. This species is distributed from Tobago to northern Argentina.