The first mastotermitid termite from Africa (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae): a new species of Mastotermes from the early Miocene of Ethiopia

The first mastotermitid termite from Africa is described and figured from wing fragments recovered from the early Miocene (22-21 Ma) deposits of the Mush Valley, Amhara Region, central Ethiopia. Mastotermes aethiopicus new species is the second fossil termite recorded from Africa and expands the known paleo-distribution of the genus from tropical North America and Europe into northeastern Africa during the Miocene. Mastotermes aethiopicus is distinguished from the living M. darwiniensis Froggatt and other Neogene species of the genus, and comments are provided regarding the occurrence of this genus in the tropical fauna of Miocene Ethiopia.