Ultrastructure of the head and mouthparts of Coptotermes formosanus presoldier and soldier

Termite soldier differentiation occurs in two molts, i.e. worker to presoldier molt and presoldier to soldier molt. The morphological descriptions of presoldiers are rare in the literature. We examined the morphological features of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki presoldiers' heads and mouthparts using scanning electron micrographs (SEM). For comparisons, soldiers were also included in the SEM study. The most striking morphological differences between presoldiers and soldiers of this species were in the clypeus, labrum and mandibles sizes and shapes. Histological observations of the presoldier labrum discovered the presence of a pair of labral glands located near the base of the labrum. The labrum was also found to be innervated with nerve cells and presumably functional.