A New Fossil Termite (Isoptera, Stolotermitidae, Stolotermes) from the Early Miocene of Otago, New Zealand

: The forewing of a termite from Early Miocene lake sediments in Otago, southern New Zealand is figured and described. It exhibits the generic characters of the damp‐wood termite Stolotermes Hägen, but differs from forewings of the known species in size and venation pattern and is described as Stolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta geologica Sinica (Beijing) 2010-08, Vol.84 (4), p.705-709
Main Authors: KAULFUSS, Uwe, HARRIS, Anthony C., LEE, Daphne E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Early Miocene
Faecal pellets
fossil termite
Fossils
Foulden Maar
Gondwana
Isoptera
Lake deposits
Lake sediments
Lakes
Miocene
New species
Otago
Sediments
Stolotermes
Venation
Wood
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Summary:: The forewing of a termite from Early Miocene lake sediments in Otago, southern New Zealand is figured and described. It exhibits the generic characters of the damp‐wood termite Stolotermes Hägen, but differs from forewings of the known species in size and venation pattern and is described as Stolotermes kupe sp. nov. S. hupe represents the first confident record of fossil Stolotermitidae and extends the fossil record of the family back to the Early Miocene. It also is the first direct evidence of fossil Isoptera from New Zealand, though silicified termite faecal pellets, referable to Kalotermes brauni, have been previously described. S. kupe indicates that Stolotermitidae has been present in the Australasian region since at least the Early Miocene.
ISSN:1000-9515
1755-6724
DOI:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00275.x