Cretaceous Insects From Labrador 3. a New Genus and Species ofTermite. (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae)

The origin and dispersal o.f numerous higher taxa of termites by mid-Cretaceous times have been postulated from present geographical distributions and the existence of fairly advanced types in early to middle Tertiary deposits (Emerson, I955, NISS). With the excep- tion of a few extinct genera, the Oligocene termite fauna of Baltic amber includes several genera that are characteristic of present warm temperate climates of Europe and Asia. A recently discovered trop- ical termite fauna in Mexican amber o.f Oligocene-Miocene age is generically closely similar to the living fauna of the same region (Emerson, NISS). Heretofore, the ea.rliest known fossil termites were found in Eocene deposits of North America, Australia, and Europe. The few specimens of Eocene age belong to the Mastoter- mitidae (Emerson, I965) and Kalotermitidae (Emerson, MSS), but early Oligocene fossils from several deposits including Baltic amber belong to. the Hodotermitidae, Mastotermitidae, Kaloter- mitidae, a.nd Rhinotermitidae. The author and others, have.