Macrotermes

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Macrotermes
Isoptera sandias 02.jpg
Structure of an M. natalensis mound
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Infraorder: Isoptera
Family: Termitidae
Subfamily: Macrotermitinae
Genus: Macrotermes
Holmgren , 1910 [1]
Species

See text

Macrotermes is a genus of termites belonging to the subfamily Macrotermitinae and widely distributed throughout Africa and South-East Asia. Well-studied species include Macrotermes natalensis [2] and M. bellicosus.

Contents

Like other genera in the Macrotermitinae, they consume dead plant material indirectly by cultivating a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Termitomyces on galleries inside – often very large – termite mounds. Frequently at the beginning of the rainy season, enormous swarms of winged flying adults disperse to establish new colonies.

Spores are sown on the wood in the nest and treated with a growth hormone. The termites feed on the resulting fungus garden. [3] The fungi produce heat in the nest, which rises towards the closed chimney. The heat is exchanged via the chimney, and its smaller tunnels that lead to the surface. Carbon dioxide and oxygen are exchanged near the surface of the nest, and workers may open or block individual tunnels to regulate temperature.

Life cycle

General life cycle of Macrotermitinae Lifecycle2.png
General life cycle of Macrotermitinae

Shortly after a nuptial flight, the fully claustral male and female pairs set off to immediately find a safe location to found a new colony, and unlike their xylophagous relatives, instead sequester themselves within the native sand-clay soils of their habitat. The eggs can take anywhere between 15 and 30 days to hatch into several dozen nymphs, which later differentiate and mature into the first workers and soldiers.

Similarly to Attini fungus-growing ants, the life cycle of these termites is intimately tied to that of their symbiote. Macrotermes like the majority of Macrotermitinae primarily practice the horizontal mode of transmission of their obligate symbiotic fungi, with the sole exception of Macrotermes bellicosus which practices vertical transmission of their symbiote; i.e., the reproductives carry fungus material within their crop to start new fungus gardens, as opposed to the mode of horizontal transmission where the spores of their Termitomyces symbiote must be foraged for in the environment.

A couple months after nuptial flights, mature colonies of species that practice the horizontal mode of transmission have mushrooms erupt from the surface of their nests. These mushrooms release spores into the environment which is timed to when the first workers of young colonies have begun foraging. Workers pick up these spores while foraging and ingest the spores incidentally while consuming detritus consisting of dead woods, grasses and leaves at varying stages of decomposition. The guts of the termites work to act as sterilization stations so that nothing but the Termitomyces spores survive. The spores are later defecated along with the partially digested lignocellulose material which is molded into the primordial fungus comb; a brown pillar-like structure. The spores germinate soon after and grow to cover the primordial comb, appearing as a smooth layer of silky white, tightly interwoven mycelium. As it digests the cellulose and matures, the fungus grows white nodules on the surface of the comb – which is what the termites eat directly. As the fungus exhausts the substrate in the comb, new substrate is added and the old substrate is then also eaten by the termites.

Termitomyces heimii with growing mycelium and primordia on comb. Termitomyces heimii.jpg
Termitomyces heimii with growing mycelium and primordia on comb.

Relationship with humans

Macrotermes termites are economically important pests that damage crop plants, rangelands, wooden structures and books. They may cause yield losses of up to 100%.[ citation needed ]

One study of wooden utility poles in Nigeria found that over two-thirds were infested by M. bellicosus. The termites visibly eroded the poles' base and structural strength, causing 53% of infested poles to tilt. [4]

Some species of Macrotermes are eaten by humans in Africa. Alates are eaten the most, but workers and soldiers are also eaten and they are available throughout the year, unlike alates. One method of gathering them is to pour water over dry termite mounds in winter, mimicking the spring rains when termites are more active. In the South African province of Limpopo, Macrotermes soldiers and workers often occur in yards in rural areas, and on sidewalks in towns. [5]

In Kenya, Macrotermes alates are sold commercially for retail prices comparable to that of goat meat. Trade of termites is dominated by women and involves collectors who sell to wholesalers, who then sell to retailers. The termites are typically preserved by drying, less commonly by frying. They are ground into flour for use in baking. [6]

Species

The following species are included in the Termite catalogue: [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Termite</span> Social insects related to cockroaches

Termites are a group of detritophagous eusocial insects which consume a wide variety of decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, and soil humus. They are distinguished by their moniliform antennae and the soft-bodied and typically unpigmented worker caste for which they have been commonly termed "white ants"; however, they are not ants, to which they are distantly related. About 2,972 extant species are currently described, 2,105 of which are members of the family Termitidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mound-building termites</span> Group of termite species

Mound-building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds which are made of a combination of soil, termite saliva and dung. These termites live in Africa, Australia and South America. The mounds sometimes have a diameter of 30 metres (98 ft). Most of the mounds are in well-drained areas. Termite mounds usually outlive the colonies themselves. If the inner tunnels of the nest are exposed it is usually dead. Sometimes other colonies, of the same or different species, occupy a mound after the original builders' deaths.

<i>Termitomyces</i> Genus of fungi

Termitomyces, the termite mushrooms, is a genus of basidiomycete fungi belonging to the family Lyophyllaceae. All of which are completely dependent on fungus-growing termites, the Macrotermitinae, to survive, and vice versa. They are the food source for these termites, who enjoy an obligate symbiosis with the genus similar to that between Atta ants and Attamyces mushrooms. Termitomyces mushrooms are edible, and are highly regarded for their flavor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fungivore</span> Organism that consumes fungi

Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, plants, amoebas, gastropods, nematodes, bacteria and other fungi. Some of these, which only eat fungi, are called fungivores whereas others eat fungi as only part of their diet, being omnivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macrotermitinae</span> Subfamily of termites

The Macrotermitinae, the fungus-growing termites, constitute a subfamily of the family Termitidae that is only found within the Old World tropics.

<i>Termitomyces heimii</i> Species of fungus

Termitomyces heimii is a species of agaric fungus in the family Lyophyllaceae. It has symbiotic relationship with termites. Described as new to science in 1979, it is found in India. The specific epithet heimii honors French mycologist Roger Heim. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) produced by the fungus are edible.

<i>Macrotermes bellicosus</i> Species of insect

Macrotermes bellicosus is a species of Macrotermes. The queens are the largest of all termites species, measuring about 4.2 inches (110 mm) long when physogastric. The workers average 0.14 in (3.6 mm) in length and soldiers are slightly larger. Bellicosus means "combative" in Latin. The species is a member of a genus indigenous to Africa and South-East Asia.

<i>Incisitermes minor</i> Species of termite

Incisitermes minor is a species of termite in the family Kalotermitidae known commonly as the western drywood termite. It is native to western North America, including the western United States and northern Mexico. It has been found in many other parts of the United States, all the way to the East Coast. It has been reported from Toronto. It has been introduced to Hawaii. It has been noted in China and it is not uncommon in Japan. This is an economically important pest of wooden structures, including houses. In California and Arizona alone its economic impact is estimated to be about $250 million per year.

<i>Termitomyces schimperi</i> Species of fungus

Termitomyces schimperi is a large mushroom associated with the termite species Macrotermes michaelseni. It grows in the northern part of Southern Africa, from northern Namibia up to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), eastwards to Malawi and Mozambique, and westwards to Ivory Coast.

<i>Termitotrox cupido</i> Species of beetle

Termitotrox cupido is a species of scarab beetle in the subfamily Termitotroginae. It was first described by Munetoshi Maruyama in 2012, having been discovered living inside a nest of the termite Hypotermes makhamensis in Cambodia. It is a tiny, blind and flightless insect.

Hypotermes makhamensis is a species of termite in the subfamily Macrotermitinae of the family Termitidae. It lives in dry evergreen forests in tropical south-eastern Asia and builds termite mounds in which it cultivates fungus for use as food.

<i>Cryptotermes brevis</i> Species of termite

Cryptotermes brevis is a species of termite in the family Kalotermitidae, commonly known as the West Indian drywood termite or the powderpost termite. It is able to live completely inside timber structures or articles made of wood such as furniture without any outside source of water. It is frequently introduced into new locations inadvertently, and causes damage to the structural timbers of buildings and to wooden objects such as furniture.

<i>Macrotermes michaelseni</i> Species of termite

Macrotermes michaelseni is a species of termite in the family Termitidae, found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is associated with the fungus Termitomyces schimperi.

<i>Megaponera</i> Genus of ants

Megaponera analis is the sole species of the genus Megaponera. They are a strictly termite-eating (termitophagous) ponerine ant species widely distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa and most commonly known for their column-like raiding formation when attacking termite feeding sites. Their sophisticated raiding behaviour gave them the common name Matabele ant after the Matabele tribe, fierce warriors who overwhelmed various other tribes during the 1800s. With some individuals reaching up to 25 millimetres (0.98 in) in length, M. analis is one of the world's largest ants.

<i>Macrotermes carbonarius</i> Species of termite

Macrotermes carbonarius, also known as Kongkiak in Malay, is a large black species of fungus-growing termite in the genus Macrotermes. It is one of the most conspicuous species of Macrotermes found in the Indomalayan tropics, forming large foraging trails in the open that can extend several metres in distance. M. carbonarius is a highly aggressive species with the soldiers possessing large curving mandibles that easily break skin. It is found in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

<i>Termitomyces eurrhizus</i> Species of fungus

Termitomyces eurrhizus species of agaric fungus in the family Lyophyllaceae native to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, southwestern China and Malaysia. The fungus has a symbiotic relationship with termites, its mushrooms growing out of mounds after periods of rainfall. It is eaten in Malaysia and the Indian subcontinent.

<i>Macrotermes natalensis</i> Species of termite

Macrotermes natalensis is a fungus-growing termite species that belongs to the genus Macrotermes. This species is associated with the Termitomyces fungal genus. M. natalensis has domesticated Termitomyces to produce food for the colony. Both termite species- fungal genus- are obligate and mutually beneficial where termite relies on the fungus to break down for plant materiel and nutrient resource. In contrast, the fungal species obtain plant material and optimal conditions for growth.

<i>Odontotermes</i> Genus of termites

Odontotermes is a termite genus belonging to subfamily Macrotermitinae, which is native to the Old World. They are most destructive in wooden homes, and are agricultural pests in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and Asia. It is the most diverse termite genus in Africa, with 78 species recorded.

<i>Odontotermes obesus</i> Species of termite

Odontotermes obesus is a species of termite in the family Termitidae. It is native to tropical southwestern Asia. This termite cultivates a symbiotic fungus in a special chamber in the nest. Workers gather vegetable detritus which they bring back to the colony, chewing up the material to make a suitable substrate on which the fungus will grow.

<i>Odontotermes formosanus</i> Species of termite

Odontotermes formosanus is a species of fungus-growing termite in the family Termitidae. It is native to southeastern Asia and was first described from Taiwan. This termite cultivates a symbiotic fungus in a special chamber in the nest. Workers and soldiers gather vegetable detritus which they bring back to the colony, chewing the material to a pulp to make a suitable substrate on which to grow the fungus.

References

  1. ↑ Holmgren N (1910). "Das System der Termiten". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 35: 284–286.
  2. ↑ Poulsen M, Hu H, Li C, Chen Z, Xu L, Otani S, et al. (October 2014). "Complementary symbiont contributions to plant decomposition in a fungus-farming termite". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111 (40): 14500–14505. Bibcode:2014PNAS..11114500P. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319718111 . PMC   4209977 . PMID   25246537.
  3. ↑ Holm E (2017). Insektopedie. Cape Town: Struik Nature. pp. 114–116. ISBN   978-1-77584-198-2.
  4. ↑ Egbon IN (2022-04-01). "Preliminary Survey of Macrotermes Bellicosus Infestation on Public Utility Poles in Ekosodin Community, Nigeria; Implication for Uninterrupted Electricity Supply". African Journal of Health, Safety and Environment. 3 (1): 224–232. doi: 10.52417/ajhse.v3i1.207 . ISSN   2695-1819. S2CID   247907731.
  5. ↑ Egan B, Nethavhani Z, van Asch B (June 2021). "Overview of the Genetic Diversity of African Macrotermes (Termitidae: Macrotermitinae) and Implications for Taxonomy, Ecology and Food Science". Insects. 12 (6): 518. doi: 10.3390/insects12060518 . PMC   8228397 . PMID   34204854.
  6. ↑ Anyuor S, Ayiko M, Amulen D (2022-02-27). "Commercialization of Alate termites (Macrotermes sp.) to improve households' livelihoods in Vihiga county, Kenya" (PDF). African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. 22 (106): 19326–19338. doi:10.18697/ajfand.106.21085. S2CID   247164247.
  7. ↑ Constantino R. "Termes (Macrotermes) Holmgren 1909: 193". Termite catalogue. Termite Laboratory - University of Brasília.
  8. ↑ "Macrotermes". Index to Organism Names.
  9. ↑ Leuthold RH, Triet H, Schildger B (2004). "Husbandry and breeding of African Giant Termites (Macrotermes jeanneli) at Berne Animal Park" (PDF). Zoologische Garten. 74 (1): 26–37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-07.

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