A new species of termite, Neotermes Holmgren (Blattodea: Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) from India with a note on morphometry of Neotermes Nilamburensis Thakur

Southern India is unique by many endemic species of flora and fauna especially in the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot. Neotermes Holmgren is widely distributed genus of the family Kalotermitidae. A new species of kalotermitid termite, Neotermes viraktamathi sp. nov. is here described from Karnataka part of Western Ghats. The species was collected from a dead branch of a live tree. Additionally, for the first time, 16S rRNA sequence of an Indian Neotermes is provided. A note on variation observed in morphometrics of an endemic species, Neotermes nilamburensis Thakur is also discussed.