Heterotermitidae

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Heterotermitidae
2010 Insecto Valverde Vilarromaris Oroso.jpg
Reticulitermes lucifugus imago
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Infraorder: Isoptera
Nanorder: Geoisoptera
Family: Heterotermitidae
Hellemans et al., 2024
Type genus
Heterotermes Froggatt, 1897

Heterotermitidae, or the Subterranean termites , is a family of termites that was elevated to family level from the subfamily Heterotermitinae , formerly nested in Rhinotermitidae . [1] [2] Recent cladistic analyses as of 2024 position Heterotermitidae as sister to the Termitidae , forming the clade Geoisoptera . [1] This family includes the most economically significant termites, Reticulitermes, Heterotermes, and especially Coptotermes with C. formosanus in particular costing an estimated >$2.2 billion in annual damages within the United States alone. [3] They primarily feed through the soil-wood interface, foraging for food through the soil and mud tubes. [4] The nests of most species are typically diffuse subterranean galleries and tunnels, however Coptotermes is known to build more complex centralized nests built from carton, with some species building mounds. [5] [6]

Genera


References

  1. 1 2 Hellemans, Simon; Rocha, Mauricio M.; Wang, Menglin; Romero Arias, Johanna; Aanen, Duur K.; Bagnères, Anne-Geneviève; Buček, Aleš; Carrijo, Tiago F.; Chouvenc, Thomas; Cuezzo, Carolina; Constantini, Joice P.; Constantino, Reginaldo; Dedeine, Franck; Deligne, Jean; Eggleton, Paul (2024-08-07). "Genomic data provide insights into the classification of extant termites". Nature Communications. 15 (1): 6724. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-51028-y. ISSN   2041-1723.
  2. Froggatt, W.W. (1897a) Australian Termitidae. Part II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 22, 510-552.
  3. Bradshaw, Corey J. A.; Leroy, Boris; Bellard, Céline; Roiz, David; Albert, Céline; Fournier, Alice; Barbet-Massin, Morgane; Salles, Jean-Michel; Simard, Frédéric; Courchamp, Franck (2016-10-04). "Massive yet grossly underestimated global costs of invasive insects". Nature Communications. 7 (1): 12986. doi:10.1038/ncomms12986. hdl: 2440/101858 . ISSN   2041-1723.
  4. Tayasu, I.; Abe, T.; Eggleton, P.; Bignell, D. E. (1997). "Nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in termites: an indicator of trophic habit along the gradient from wood-feeding to soil-feeding". Ecological Entomology. 22 (3): 343–351. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2311.1997.00070.x. ISSN   1365-2311.
  5. Hadlington, Phillip W. (1996). Australian Termites and Other Common Timber Pests. UNSW Press. ISBN   978-0-86840-399-1.
  6. Relph, Andrew Elbe; Kylar McCann; Raquel. "Coptotermes formosanus". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2025-05-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)