Schedorhinotermes spp.
Soldier:
- Mandibles with teeth on inner faces; Basal 1/3 of mandibles not evenly sawlike; Labrum grooved centrally; Fontanelle present; Pronotum flat, no anterior lobes.
There are two types of soldiers, Major and Minor.
Major Soldier:
- 5.0-7.5mm in length; Bulbous head.
Minor Soldier:
- 3.0-5.0mm in length (approx 2/3 length of major soldier); Narrower head, mandibles more slender; Labrums extend almost to the tip of the mandibles.
There are several closely related species that require an expert to differentiate; however, the species occur in discrete areas:
Schedorhinotermes intermedius: Mainly coastal; occurs from SE Queensland to just south of Sydney.
Schedorhinotermes actuosus: Occurs across northern Australia and extends across northern South Australia and New South Wales.
Schedorhinotermes breinli: Occurs across northern Northern Territory and Queensland extends south to Gladstone.
Schedorhinotermes derosus: Occurs across northern half of Western Australia and across Northern Territory.
Schedorhinotermes seclusus: Occurs primarily in coastal Queensland and extends into New South Wales to around Taree.
Schedorhinotermes reticulatus: Occurs across the dry areas of southern central Australia. Not recorded from Northern Territory.
Distribution source:
CSIRO ANIC Biota details:
http://anic.ento.csiro.au/database/specimensearch.asp