Further evidence of Cretaceous termitophily: Description of new termite hosts of the trichopseniine Cretotrichopsenius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), with emendations to the classification of lower termites (Isoptera)
Author
JIANG, RI-XIN
Author
ZHANG, HONG-RUI
Author
ELDREDGE, K. TARO
Author
SONG, XIAO-BIN
Author
LI, YAN-DA
Author
TIHELKA, ERIK
Author
HUANG, DI-YING
Author
WANG, SHUO
Author
ENGEL, MICHAEL S.
Author
CAI, CHEN-YANG
text
Palaeoentomology
2021
2021-08-31
4
4
374
389
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.4.4.13
journal article
10.11646/palaeoentomology.4.4.13
6cd3d259-465d-4ab3-8a32-d57a812bb6e0
2624-2834
5507925
D1F5A853-32D1-470B-A609-D54F7B8C60CA
Hodotermopsinae Engel
,
subfam. nov.
Type
genus.
Hodotermopsis
Holmgren, 1911
.
Diagnosis.
Imago right mandible with apical tooth as long as or slightly shorter than first marginal tooth (apical tooth longer than first marginal tooth in
Archotermopsinae
s
.
str
.). Imago left mandible with apical short, subequal to first marginal tooth (as long as or longer than first marginal tooth, sometimes apical, first marginal, and second marginal teeth equally developed [
i
.
e
.,
Archotermopsis
], in
Archotermopsinae
s
.
str
.), second marginal tooth forming broad cutting edge, with apex projecting to or nearly to level of first marginal tooth (if second marginal tooth forms broad cutting edge in
Archotermopsinae
[
i
.
e
.,
Zootermopsis
Emerson, 1933
], then apex of second marginal tooth projecting to half length of first marginal tooth). Soldier with lateral spines only present on metatibia (present on all tibia in
Archotermopsinae
s
.
str
.); cerci 1.5× or less length of styli (2× or more in
Archotermopsinae
s
.
str
.). Otherwise typical for
Archotermopsidae
in presence of cryptically pentamerous tarsi (
i
.
e
., second tarsomere reduced and obscured from above giving the false impression of tetramerous tarsi from some angles) and right mandible of image with a subsidiary tooth present at base of anterior margin of first marginal tooth (
i
.
e
., between apical tooth and first marginal tooth). While
Archotermopsinae
tend to have one poorly distinguished inferior branch of Rs apically that parallels the main Rs branch to or just posterior to the wing apex, in
Hodotermopsis
there may be at times two inferior branches of Rs (
Hodotermitidae
have more developed, striking straight parallel inferior branches that strike toward the posterior margin (
Engel
et al
., 2009
;
Krishna
et al
., 2013
).
Repeated studies demonstrate the distinctiveness of
Hodotermopsis
(
Bourguignon
et al
., 2015
;
Buček
et al
., 2019
). It may be warranted to elevate the rank of this group but given the contradictory placements of several Teletisoptera in recent phylogenetic estimates (
Bourguignon
et al
., 2015
;
Legendre
et al
., 2015
;
Engel
et al
., 2016
;
Buček
et al
., 2019
), we are hesitant to make any further refinements to the classification beyond noting the special placement of the genus.