Termitidae is the largest
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
termite
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 Blattode ...
s 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
Year 955 ( CMLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* August 10 – Battle of Lechfeld: King Otto I ("the Great") defeats the Hungarians (also ...
/small> (synonym: Indotermitidae Roonwal & Sen Sarma in Roonwal, 1958)
**Subfamily Cubitermitinae Weidner, 1956
**Subfamily Foraminitermitinae Holmgren, 1912 (synonym: Pseudomicrotermitinae Holmgren, 1912)
**Subfamily Macrotermitinae
The Macrotermitinae, the fungus-growing termites, constitute a subfamily of the family Termitidae that is only found within the Old World tropics.
This subfamily consists of 14 genera and about 350 species and are distinguished by the fact t ...
Kemner, 1934, nomen protectum CZN 2003/small> (synonyms: Acanthotermitinae Sjöstedt, 1926, nomen rejiciendum CZN 2003/small>; Odontotermitini Weidner, 1956
**Subfamily Nasutitermitinae
The Nasutitermitinae are a subfamily of higher termites that includes more than 80 genera. They are most recognisable by the more highly derived soldier caste which exhibits vestigial mandibles and a protruding fontanellar process on the head ...
Hare, 1937
**Subfamily Sphaerotermitinae Engel & Krishna, 2004a
**Subfamily Syntermitinae Engel & Krishna, 2004a (synonym: Cornitermitinae Ensaf et al., 2004, nomen nudum)
**Subfamily Termitinae
Termitinae is a subfamily of termites; ''Amitermes'' and certain other genera (indicated here with a *) have previously been placed in the Amitermitinae
Amitermitinae is a disputed subfamily of "higher termites" now often merged with the sub ...
Latreille, 1802 (synonyms: Microcerotermitinae Holmgren, 1910b; Amitermitinae
Amitermitinae is a disputed subfamily of "higher termites" now often merged with the subfamily Termitinae and is considered by ITIS as a synonym; it had previously been placed in the family Rhinotermitidae.
Amitermitinae have as typical charact ...
Kemner, 1934 (disputed); Mirocapritermitinae Kemner, 1934; Mirotermitini Weidner, 1956; Capritermitini Weidner, 1956)
Identification
Imago forewing and hindwing scales either evenly or closely sized and not overlapping. Wing scale suture and veins are strongly sclerotized, veins reduced. Post-clypeus of workers and imagoes both swollen and protruding from head capsule. Pronotum is saddled with depressed anterior corners. Ocelli of imago typically (but not always) protruding above head capsule.
References
Termites
Blattodea families
Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille
{{termite-stub