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Termites
Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattodea (along with cockroaches). Termites were once classified in a separate order from cockroaches, but recent phylogenetic studies indicate that they evolved from cockroaches, as they are deeply nested within the group, and the sister group to wood eating cockroaches of the genus '' Cryptocercus''. Previous estimates suggested the divergence took place during the Jurassic or Triassic. More recent estimates suggest that they have an origin during the Late Jurassic, with the first fossil records in the Early Cretaceous. About 3,106 species are currently described, with a few hundred more left to be described. Although these insects are often called "white ants", they are not ants, and are not closely related to ants. Like ants and some bees ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blattodea
Blattodea is an order of insects that contains cockroaches and termites. Formerly, termites were considered a separate order, Isoptera, but genetic and molecular evidence suggests they evolved from within the cockroach lineage, cladistically making them cockroaches as well. The Blattodea and the mantis (order Mantodea) are now all considered part of the superorder Dictyoptera. Blattodea includes approximately 4,400 species of cockroach in almost 500 genera, and about 3,000 species of termite in around 300 genera. Termites are pale-coloured, soft-bodied eusocial insects that live in colonies, whereas cockroaches are darker-coloured (often brown), sclerotized, segmented insects. Within the colony, termites have a caste system, with a pair of mature reproductives, the king and the queen, and numerous sterile workers and soldiers. Cockroaches are not colonial but do have a tendency to aggregate and may be considered pre-social, as all adults are capable of breeding. Other simil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cockroach
Cockroaches (or roaches) are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as Pest (organism), pests. The cockroaches are an ancient group, with their ancestors, known as "Roachoid, roachoids", originating during the Carboniferous period, some 320 million years ago. Those early ancestors, however, lacked the internal ovipositors of modern roaches. Cockroaches are somewhat generalized insects lacking special adaptations (such as the sucking Insect mouthparts, mouthparts of aphids and other Hemiptera, true bugs); they have chewing mouthparts and are probably among the most primitive of living Neopteran insects. They are common and hardy insects capable of tolerating a wide range of Köppen climate classification, climates, from Arctic cold to Tropics, tropical heat. Tropical cockroaches are often much larg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archotermopsidae
Archotermopsidae is a family of termites in the order Blattodea, known as dampwood termites, formerly included within the family Termopsidae. They constitute a small and rather primitive family with five extant genera and 13–20 living species. They may be a nuisance, but compared to the drywood termites (Kalotermitidae Kalotermitidae is a family of termites, commonly known as drywood termites. Kalotermitidae includes 21 genera and 419 species. The family has a cosmopolitan circumtropical distribution, and is found in functionally arid environments. Biology The ...), usually do not cause extensive damage to buildings or other man-made structures. As their name implies, they eat wood that is not dried out, perhaps even rotting, and consequently of little use to humans. Taxonomy In 2009, the five extant genera from the family Termopsidae ('' Archotermopsis'', '' Hodotermopsis'', '' Porotermes'', '' Stolotermes'', and '' Zootermopsis'') were moved to a newly created family, Arc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formosan Subterranean Termite
The Formosan termite (''Coptotermes formosanus'') is a species of termite local to southern China and introduced to Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa, where it gets its name), Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, and the continental United States. The Formosan termite is often nicknamed the super-termite because of its destructive habits due to the large size of its colonies and its ability to consume wood at a rapid rate. Populations of these termites have become large enough to appear on New Orleans' weather radars. A mature Formosan colony can consume as much as 13 ounces of wood a day (about 400 g) and can severely damage a structure in as little as three months. Formosan termites infest a wide variety of structures (including boats and high-rise condominiums) and can damage trees. In the United States, along with another species, '' Coptotermes gestroi'', introduced from Southeast Asia, they are responsible for tremendous damage to property resulting in large treatment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hodotermitidae
The harvester termites (from Greek ὁδός (hodós), travelling; Latin ''termes'', woodworm) are an ancient, Old World family of termites, the Hodotermitidae. They are distinguished by the serrated inner edge of their mandibles, and their functional compound eyes which are present in all castes. They forage for grass at night and during daylight hours, and pigmented workers are often observed outside the nest. Their range includes the deserts and savannas of Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Their English name refers to their habit of collecting grass, which is not unique to the family, though. General The family consists of three extant genera and some 18 or 19 species. ''Anacanthotermes'' is found in deserts and semideserts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia, including Baluchistan and southern India. '' Hodotermes'' has a vast range from Palaearctic North Africa, through the East African savannas to the karroid regions of southern Africa. ''Microho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Termopsidae
Termopsidae is an extinct family of termites in the order Blattodea. The five extant genera formerly included in Termopsidae ('' Archotermopsis'', '' Hodotermopsis'', '' Porotermes'', '' Stolotermes'', and '' Zootermopsis'') have recently been treated as part of the newer family Archotermopsidae, leaving only extinct taxa in Termopsidae. Several prehistoric genera are placed herein, known only from fossils. Since only a small part of the erstwhile diversity of dampwood termites survives, it is rather difficult to assign these to subfamilies. Several seem to represent very ancient members of the family; they may be quite basal Termopsidae, so it is indeed unwarranted to place them into a subfamily at all. * Genus '' Asiatermes'' (Early Cretaceous of China) * Genus '' Huaxiatermes'' (Early Cretaceous of China) * Genus '' Mesotermopsis'' (Early Cretaceous of China) * Genus '' Cretatermes'' (Late Cretaceous of Labrador, Canada) * Genus '' Lutetiatermes'' (Late Cretaceous of France) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stolotermitidae
Stolotermitidae is a family of termites in the order Blattodea, with two extant genera formerly placed in the family Termopsidae Termopsidae is an extinct family of termites in the order Blattodea. The five extant genera formerly included in Termopsidae ('' Archotermopsis'', '' Hodotermopsis'', '' Porotermes'', '' Stolotermes'', and '' Zootermopsis'') have recently been tre .... There are about 14 described species in Stolotermitidae. Genera GBIF and the ''Termite Catalogue'' list the following: * '' Porotermes'' Hagen, 1858 * '' Stolotermes'' Hagen, 1858 * † '' Chilgatermes'' Engel, Pan & Jacobs, 2013 References Further reading * External links {{DEFAULTSORT:Stolotermitidae Termites Blattodea families ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalotermitidae
Kalotermitidae is a family of termites, commonly known as drywood termites. Kalotermitidae includes 21 genera and 419 species. The family has a cosmopolitan circumtropical distribution, and is found in functionally arid environments. Biology The Kalotermitidae are "primitive" in morphology, nesting behavior, and social organization. Unlike other termite species, they have no need to make contact with soil and live exclusively within excavations in wood, lacking elaborate nesting architecture. Drywood termites have an adaptive mechanism for conserving water. Undigested matter in the alimentary canal passes through specialized rectal glands in the hindgut. These glands reabsorb water from the feces. They can tolerate dry conditions for long periods of time, receiving all of the moisture they need from the wood they live in and consume. Their mandibles are also fortified with zinc, as an adaptation to the mechanically difficult food source of dry wood. Their diet of dry wood makes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stylotermitidae
Stylotermitidae is a family of termites in the order Blattodea. There are two extinct and one extant genera in Stylotermitidae, with more than 50 described species. Genera These three genera belong to the family Stylotermitidae: * '' Stylotermes'' Holmgren, 1917 * † ''Parastylotermes'' Snyder & Emerson, 1949 * † ''Prostylotermes ''Prostylotermes'' is an extinct genus of termite in the isopteran family Stylotermitidae known from two Eocene fossils found in India. The genus contains a single described species, ''Prostylotermes kamboja''. History and classification ''Pros ...'' Engel & Grimaldi, 2011 References Further reading * Termites Blattodea families {{termite-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Termitidae
Termitidae is the largest family of termites whose members are commonly known as the higher termites. They are evolutionarily the most specialised termite group, with their highly compartmentalized hindgut lacking the flagellated protozoans common to "lower termites". Whereas lower termites are restricted mostly to woody tissue, higher termites have diverse diets consisting of wood, grass, leaf litter, fungi, lichen, faeces, humus and soil. Subfamilies The family contains the following subfamilies: *Termitidae Latreille, 1802 **Subfamily Apicotermitinae Grassé & Noirot, 1954 955/small> (synonym: Indotermitidae Roonwal & Sen Sarma in Roonwal, 1958) **Subfamily Cubitermitinae Weidner, 1956 **Subfamily Foraminitermitinae Holmgren, 1912 (synonym: Pseudomicrotermitinae Holmgren, 1912) **Subfamily Macrotermitinae Kemner, 1934, nomen protectum CZN 2003/small> (synonyms: Acanthotermitinae Sjöstedt, 1926, nomen rejiciendum CZN 2003/small>; Odontotermitini Weidner, 1956 **Subfamily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eusociality
Eusociality (from Ancient Greek, Greek εὖ ''eu'' "good" and social), the highest level of organization of sociality, is defined by the following characteristics: cooperative Offspring, brood care (including care of offspring from other individuals), overlapping generations within a colony of adults, and a division of labor into reproductive and non-reproductive groups. The division of labor creates specialized behavioral groups within an animal society which are sometimes referred to as 'castes'. Eusociality is distinguished from all other social systems because individuals of at least one caste usually lose the ability to perform at least one behavior characteristic of individuals in another caste. Eusocial colonies can be viewed as superorganisms. Eusociality exists in certain insects, crustaceans, and mammals. It is mostly observed and studied in the Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps) and in Blattodea (termites). A colony has caste differences: queens and reproductive males ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinotermitidae
Rhinotermitidae is a family of termites (Isoptera). They feed on wood and can cause extensive damage to buildings or other wooden structures. About 345 species are recognized, among these are severe pests such as '' Coptotermes formosanus'', ''Coptotermes gestroi'', and ''Reticulitermes flavipes''. Subfamilies and Genera WikiSpecies and the ''Termite CatalogueTermite Catalogue (retrieved 12 July 2019)' list the following: Coptotermitinae Auth.: Holmgren, 1910 * ''Coptotermes'' Heterotermitinae Auth.: Froggatt, 1897 (synonym Leucotermitinae Holmgren, 1910a) * ''Heterotermes'' * ''Reticulitermes'' * '' Tsaitermes'' Prorhinotermitinae Auth.: Quennedey & Deligne, 1975 * ''Prorhinotermes'' Psammotermitinae Auth.: Holmgren, 1911 (Note: Holmgren included this taxon in "family Mesotermitidae") * ''Psammotermes ''Psammotermes'' is a genus of termites in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is found living in subterranean nests in arid parts of Africa. Distribution and habitat ''Psa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
