Here's a few decent pics of a pair of alcohol-preserved soldiers of Hodotermopsis sjostedti, a very large dampwood termite from Asia formerly included in the Archotermopsidae family, but now the sole member of the newly erected Hodotermopsidae. These soldiers employ their large and powerful toothed mandibles to fight off foes ranging from intruding ants to other competing colonies of their own species.
Dorsal wiew.
Ventral wiew. The large tarsi and tarsal claws grants them an excellent grip on the wood they inhabit.
The impressive mandibles of these soldiers; note their marked and asymmetrical dentition and the round labrum. You can also see the eyes, which in this species are present in all castes.
), Tetramorium bicarinatum, Solenopsis spp. (probably xyloni, the queens are tiny hehe)
