Morphometric Analysis of Nasutitermes (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the soldier’s morphological variation of Nasutitermes. In this study, a total of 107 individuals representing six species were appropriately measured and recorded, in which 12 morphometric measurements were used. The morphological comparison was made among six Nasutitermes species used in this study based on the head capsule and shape of rostrum, pronotum and postmentum. Following the comparison between six Nasutitermes species, we suggest that N. regularis and N. longinasus were closely resembled to each other than to the remaining four species; N. havilandi, N. matangensis, N. matangensiformis and N. fuscipennis based on the external morphological characteristics. The cluster analysis shows by the dendrogram resulted in two major clades; clade 1 grouped almost individuals of N. longinasus while clade 2 consists of the remaining five species. Accordingly, this study may serve as a baseline reference for the morphological characteristics that can be used in resolving taxonomic issues for Nasutitermes species.

Keywords

• nasute termites
• morphological variation
• sarawak