Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : Abstract The identity of Termes fatalis Linnaeus, the species that gave termites their name, is still controversial since recent molecular and chemical studies showed that at least two different taxa match its description. This paper aims to resolve this uncertainty and provide an unambiguous characterization of the type species of the genus Termes . We collected colonies matching the description of T. fatalis in French Guiana, compared the morphology of the different castes with type specimens of the Termes species reported from the northern Neotropics, sequenced their mitochondrial genomes, analyzed the chemical composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in workers and defensive secretions in soldiers. Our phylogeny revealed that the current definition of T. fatalis encompasses three distinct taxa, distinguished by morphological details, the chemistry of cuticular hydrocarbons, and defensive compounds. One species morphologically matches T. fatalis , while another one matches T. panamaensis (Snyder) and T. medioculatus Emerson, which cannot be distinguished and may be synonyms. The third species, herein described as T. incognitus sp. nov ., is new to science.

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