Amitermitinae is a disputed subfamily of "higher termites" now often merged with the 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 ...

and is considered by

ITIS The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagen ...

as a synonym; it had previously been placed in the family

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'', ''Cop ...

. Amitermitinae have as typical characteristics: a usually rounded head with a bilobed clypeus. The

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

s of their soldiers usually has a single median tooth. They have evolved the ability to have many reproductives in their colony, up to a hundred, which allows very large colonies. As with other members of their family, Termitidae, they have lost most of their cellulose-digesting protozoa. Instead, they eat

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

, which digest cellulose and other organic matter. As a result, the Termitidae can make use of a wide variety of foods; not only rotten wood, but also grass, seeds, dung, soil, and detritus are all used by one species or another. In addition, some species can synthesize nitrogen compounds. Many members of the Amitermitinae have evolved a very effective way of securing food. The '' Amitermes'' species especially build a shell of earth by cementing the earth with their saliva and use it to cover vegetation. This smothers the plant and they can then eat the fungi that grow in the safety of the covering. They probably evolved in

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, monsoon, and desert regions because their runways are not very resistant to rain erosion They use saliva to build runways, and this is an adaptation of an earlier use of saliva to entangle enemies The cemented soil is richer in

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

than the soil from which it is derived. This causes an increased loss of phosphorus from sheet erosion. It is probably a major part of the reason why tropical savanna soils are depleted in phosphorus, especially in Australia. The genus '' Termes'' branch probably arose in Africa.Emerson AE (1955) Geographical origin and dispersions of termite genera. FieldianaZool. 37; 465-521; p. 478 The Amitermitinae are thought to have arisen in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, probably from primitive Oriental Termitinae species, in early

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

but it may be even more likely in Australia, since that is where phosphate deposits were clustered in the late

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

and early Cretaceous. The primitive Amitermitinae species are most numerous in those regions at present. The development of at least 25 fundamentally different

sesquiterpene Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of three isoprene units and often have the molecular formula C15H24. Like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes may be cyclic or contain rings, including many unique combinations. Biochemical modificat ...

s and several unique cyclic

ethers In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be ...

for termite defense in the Amitermitinae Prestwick GD (1983) The chemical defenses of termites. Sci. American 249; pp. 78-87. hint at considerable success and large numbers in the early years for such systems must be elaborate to evolve.

References

External links

List of Amitrerminae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4746932 Termites