Antennal sensilla of soldier and worker castes of the termite species Odontotermes parvidens (Termitidae: Isoptera: Blattaria) - Raw data

Odontotermes parvidens is a commonly found vicious pest species of termite which primarily feed on diverse cellulosic sources. In termites, communication among the nest mates is the basis of all their daily activities and the sensory structures present on the sensory appendages play a crucial role in different social behaviors perceiving and processing various signals of the  nest mates and external environments. So, it is essential to understand in details about their sensory structures in order to understand the sensory system of the species O. parvidens. Thus, we have studied the antenna which is one of the primary sensory appendages of both soldier and worker individuals of the species to elucidate various antennal sensory structures and their distribution using scanning electron microscopy. Based on the ultrastructural features of various sensilla, we observed eight types of sensilla as sensilla Chaetica (subtypes I, II, III and IV), sensilla Trichodea (subtypes I and II), sensilla Trichodea Curvata (Subtypes I and II), sensilla Basiconica, sensilla Capitula, Bohm Bristles, sensilla Campaniformia (subtypes I and II) and sensilla Ampullacea on the antenna of soldier and worker castes. We have also discussed the putative functions of all the sensilla observed based on their ultrastructural and distributional characteristics on the antenna of soldier and worker castes of the species O. parvidens.