''Constrictotermes cavifrons'' is a species of Amazonian nasute termite within the genus ''

Constrictotermes Constrictotermes is a genus of Neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Nasutitermitinae. They form large open-air foraging columns from which they travel to and from their sources of food, similar to the Indomalayan species of processi ...

''. It forms large and diurnal open-foraging trails to and from its sources of food which consists largely of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s and other microepiphytes. The nests of ''C. cavifrons'' are arboreal and characterized by a cleared central runway from which foraging raids begin.

Description

The soldiers have antennae with 13 – 14 articles (

antennomeres An antenna (plural: antennae) is one of a pair of appendages used for sensing in arthropods. Antennae are sometimes referred to as ''feelers''. Antennae are connected to the first one or two segments of the arthropod head. They vary widely in ...

) and the length of the head ranges between 1.25 – 1.50 mm. The head and abdomen segments are pigmented dark in contrast to the conspicuously yellowish thorax, matching the coloration of workers. Soldiers of this species molt from sclerotized worker-like forms which are slightly smaller than the actual workers but otherwise appear to behave no differently. The head of the presoldier form measures between 0.839 – 0.887 mm while workers range between 0.936 – 1.036 mm. The slit-shaped fontanelle of the presoldier form is also larger and more defined. During the molt the third and fourth antenna segments fuse and all antenna segments post-molt are more elongated than in the presoldier worker-like form. The

imago In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the ''imaginal'' stage ("imaginal" being "imago" in adjective form), the stage in wh ...

of this species has a brownish black, broadly oval head capsule which is sparsely covered by long hair. The fontanelle is slit-shaped and forks at the tip. The antennae consists of 15 segments with the second article equal in length to the fourth; third article is more than double the length of the 2nd article. Eyes and

ocelli A simple eye or ocellus (sometimes called a pigment pit) is a form of eye or an optical arrangement which has a single lens without the sort of elaborate retina that occurs in most vertebrates. These eyes are called "simple" to distinguish the ...

are large and the postclypeus is black brown with no distinct median line. The wings are a dark smokey color and the venation is conspicuous. Length with wings included is 17 – 19 mm, body length excluding wings is between 8 – 10 mm.Zoologica: scientific contributions of the New York Zoological Society; Page 417 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51080898

Nest

The nests are arboreal and typically found 10 meters high on a host tree. Unlike the nests of other arboreal species which are dark in color, indicative of significant lignocellulose content, the nests of ''C. cavifrons'' have lighter coloration indicating a higher amount of mineral soil used in construction. Nests are mainly characterized by their elongate shape that tapers into a central runway which is either flanked by gallery walls on either side and/or by downward sloping narrow ridges. These narrow ridges are the most diagnostic feature of their nests, and are believed to aid in diverting rainfall from the central runway.

References

Insects described in 1910 Termites Insects of South America {{Termite-stub