Phylogenetic Relationships of Chinese Coptotermes (Blattodea: Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Termites and a New Synonym Inferred from Morphological Data

Abstract

Abstract Coptotermes (Blattodea: Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) is an economically important genus. There are many problematic taxa within the genus because of small differences between different species and large variations within the same species with respect to morphology. Coptotermes species, especially those in China, are in need of careful monographic revisions. In this paper, type specimens of 14 Coptotermes species were reexamined. Their relationship was preliminarily studied with statistical methods. The phylogenetic relationships among the 21 species that are recorded in China were investigated based on soldier morphological characters. The cladistic analysis inferred that Chinese Coptotermes species are divided into two main clades and there were some species closely related to C. formosanus Shiraki and C. gestroi (Wasmann), respectively. Based on a comparison of measurement data of the closely related species C. cochlearus Xia and He and C. gestroi in the cladogram, we propose that C. cochlearus is a new synonym of C. gestroi. In the situation where it is difficult to obtain more molecular data of Chinese Coptotermes species, the present work serves as a basis for further revisionary work on Coptotermes.