The Apical Tibial Spur Formula in the Termite Genus <I>Odontotermes</I> Holmgren (Isoptera : Termitidae: Macrotermitinae)

Abstract

In termites, the distal end of each tibia carries a certain number of large, strongly built spine like structures, called the apical tibial spurs, which are always constant and occur in a definite order. This is an important taxonomic character in termite systematics. During the revisionary studies of the genus Odontotermes, the author observed that apical tibial spur formula has been expressed either as 3: 2: 2 or 2: 2 : 2 in literature. To elucidate and rectify this error, the author examined 57 species from Ethiopian and Indo-Malayan Regions and has come to the conclusion that the apical tibial spur formula in the genus Odontotermes should be 3 : 2 : 2.