Odontotermes

Odontotermes
The alate, soldier, minor worker and queen of O. horni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Blattodea
Infraorder:	Isoptera
Family:	Termitidae
Subfamily:	Macrotermitinae
Genus:	Odontotermes Holmgren, 1912

Odontotermes is a termite genus belonging to subfamily Macrotermitinae (fungus-growing termites), which is native to the Old World. They are most destructive in wooden homes, ^[1] and are agricultural pests in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and Asia. ^[2] It is the most diverse termite genus in Africa, with 78 species recorded (as of 2002). ^[3]

Nests

Their underground nests form a slight mound above ground, which may be covered in grass. ^[1] In large colonies, the mounds may be up to 6 m (20 ft) in diameter, and may be covered by shrubs and trees. Some species construct open chimneys or vent holes that descend into the mound. The fungal garden is enveloped by a thick layer of clay. ^[1]

Castes

The queen lives in a clay cell in the midst of the fungal garden at the center of the hive. The African species have a single soldier caste, unlike the related genus Macrotermes .

Alarmed soldier termites of Odontotermes badius Haviland 1898 expel an odoriferous brown defensive secretion between their mandibles that becomes sticky and rubbery on exposure to air. The secretion is a mixture of benzoquinone and protein. ^[4]

Food

Their only food is the fungus grown in the fungal garden at the center of the nest. The fungus is cultivated on a substrate of wood, bark, leaf litter, dry dung, and dead grass. ^[1] These are plastered with cement where they are obtained, which facilitates diurnal foraging. Odontotermes species are major contributors to litter decomposition. ^[2] The fungus Termitomyces reticulatus is found in association with O. badius and O. transvaalensis in Africa. ^[5]

Species

Species include:

• Odontotermes assmuthi Holmgren, 1913 – South Asia
• Odontotermes badius (Haviland, 1898) – Africa
• Odontotermes ceylonicus (Wasmann, 1902) – South Asia
• Odontotermes escherichi Holmgren, 1911 – South Asia
• Odontotermes feae (Wasmann, 1896) – South Asia
• Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki) – South Asia
• Odontotermes globicola (Wasmann, 1902) – South Asia
• Odontotermes horni (Wasmann, 1902) – South Asia
• Odontotermes koenigi (Desneux, 1906) – South Asia
• Odontotermes latericius (Haviland, 1898) – Africa
• Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) – South Asia
• Odontotermes preliminaris (Holmgren, 1911) – South Asia
• Odontotermes redemanni (Wasmann, 1893) – South Asia
• Odontotermes taprobanes (Walker, 1853) – South Asia
• Odontotermes transvaalensis (Sjöstedt, 1902) – Africa
• Odontotermes wallonensis Wasmann – South Asia

Gallery

• 
  O. badius worker
• 
  Cement plastered over tree bark
• 
  Workers foraging on tree bark under cement
• 
  Workers in ventilation tunnel

References

1. Picker, Mike; et al. (2004). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. p. 56. ISBN   978-1-77007-061-5.
2. Chiu, Chun-I; Yeh, Hsin-Ting; Li, Pai-Ling; Kuo, Chih-Yu; Tsai, Ming-Jer; Li, Hou-Feng (17 September 2018). "Foraging phenology of the fungus-growing termite Odontotermes formosanus (Blattodea: Termitidae)". Environmental Entomology. 47 (6): 1509–1516. doi:10.1093/ee/nvy140. PMID   30239668.
3. Muvengwi, Justice (2017). Relationships between termite (Macrotermes) mound distribution, plant diversity and large mammalian herbivory patterns in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe (Thesis). hdl: 10539/22729 .
4. Wood, William F.; Truckenbrodt, W.; Meinwald, Jerrold (1975). "Chemistry of the Defensive Secretion from the African Termite Odontotermes badius". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 68 (2): 359–360. doi:10.1093/aesa/68.2.359.
5. van der Westhuizen GCA; Eicker A. (1990). "Species of Termitomyces occurring in South Africa". Mycological Research. 94 (7): 923–37. doi:10.1016/S0953-7562(09)81306-3.