%0 Journal Article
%A Scheffrahn, R. H.
%A Bourguignon, T.
%A Bordereau, C.
%A Hernandez-Aguilar, R. A.
%A Oelze, Viktoria M.
%A Dieguez, Paula
%A Šobotnik, J.
%A Pascual-Garrido, A.
%+ Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
%T White-gutted soldiers: Simplification of the digestive tube for a non-particulate diet in higher Old World termites (Isoptera: Termitidae) : 
%G eng
%U https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-002D-AE3C-8
%R 10.1007/s00040-017-0572-9
%7 2017-07-12
%D 2017
%* Review method: peer-reviewed
%X Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks pigmented particles in its gut and, instead, is fed worker saliva that imparts a whitish coloration to the abdomen. In order to investigate the occurrence of this trait more thoroughly, we surveyed a broad diversity of termite specimens and taxonomic descriptions from the Old World subfamilies Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Foraminitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, and Termitinae. We identified 38 genera that have this “white-gutted” soldier (WGS) trait. No termite soldiers from the New World were found to possess a WGS caste. Externally, the WGS is characterized by a uniformly pale abdomen, hyaline gut, and proportionally smaller body-to-head volume ratio compared with their “dark-gutted” soldier (DGS) counterparts found in most termitid genera. The WGS is a fully formed soldier that, unlike soldiers in other higher termite taxa, has a small, narrow, and decompartmentalized digestive tube that lacks particulate food contents. The presumed saliva-nourished WGS have various forms of simplified gut morphologies that have evolved at least six times within the higher termites.
%K Apicotermitinae Cubitermitinae Foraminitermitinae Macrotermitinae Termitinae Enteric valve armature Proctodeum 
%J Insectes Sociaux
%O Insect. Soc.
%V 64
%N 4
%& 525
%P 525 - 533
%I Birkhüser Verlag
%C Basel
%@ 0020-1812