Reticulitermes is a termite genus in the family Rhinotermitidae. [2] They are found in most temperate regions on Earth including much of Asia and the Middle East, Western Europe, and all of North America.
Reticulitermes is a termite genus in the family Rhinotermitidae. [2] They are found in most temperate regions on Earth including much of Asia and the Middle East, Western Europe, and all of North America.
Reticulitermes species have three general castes: reproductive, worker, and soldier. [3]
In two Reticulitermes species, R. virginicus and R. speratus , mother-son breeding systems have been found. This means their colony members are more related to their mothers than their fathers since 50% of their genotype comes from their mother and 50% from their father who also shares 50% of his genotype with their shared mother. This has shown to bias female alate production over males, likely because colony members favor caring for those who they are most related to (see Kin Selection). [4]
No Reticulitermes species have a true worker caste, meaning that individuals who are not reproductives or soldiers could theoretically become ergatoid reproductives due to the hemimetabolic nature of most termites. [3] Those who do not can either become soldiers or stay workers. [5] These individuals typically focus on brood care and general nest management. [6]
The soldier caste of most Reticulitermes defend the nest by either using their mandibles to attack invaders or by using their large heads to plug the entrances to their nests. [7] [8] They are most well known for their defensive abilities, though they are known to do many other tasks, such as aiding colony reproduction by accompanying alates and stimulating the production of supplementary reproductives. [9] [10] [11] Like other termite soldiers, they are unable to feed themselves due to their large mandibles. [12]
Many species of Reticulitermes have sex biases in their soldier castes with significantly more female soldiers than males. Some species, like R. virginicus, have next to no male soldiers at all. This is believed to be caused by the sexual dimorphism in termites in which females have a larger size potential than males and the fact that soldiers need to be able to plug entrances with their large heads. However, in R. flavipes , where there is no sexual dimorphism in the reproductive caste, there is also no sex bias in soldier production. [13]
Reticulitermes flavipes (former santonensis) is found in western France, Reticulitermes grassei in southwestern France, northwestern and southern Spain and Portugal, Reticulitermes banyulensis in the Roussillon region of France and Reticulitermes lucifugus in the Provence region. [14] The subspecies, Reticulitermes lucifugus corsicus is found in Corsica and Sardinia. Reticulitermes urbis , a newly described species is found in urban zones in the southeast of France [15] (Marseille in the west to Italy in the east).
Reticulitermes clypeatus is found in Middle East.
Reticulitermes lucifugus is found in Turkey.
Reticulitermes chinensis , Reticulitermes guangzhouensis , Reticulitermes leptomandibularis and Reticulitermes khaoyaiensis are found in China.
Reticulitermes kanmonensis Korea, China and Japan.
Reticulitermes amamianus , Reticulitermes speratus , Reticulitermes miyatakei , Reticulitermes okinawanus and Reticulitermes yaeyamanus are found in Japan.
Reticulitermes arenincola is found in India.
Reticulitermes speratus is also found in all place in South Korea as well as Japan and North Korea [16] [17]
The eastern subterranean termite ( Reticulitermes flavipes ) is the most widely distributed termite found in the eastern United States. R. flavipes is commonly found in southern Ontario, and is found in all the eastern states including Texas, extending as far south as Mexico City and as far west as Arizona, with likely accidental introductions on the west coast of the US.
Other termites found there are the dark southeastern subterranean termite ( Reticulitermes virginicus ) and the light southeastern subterranean termite ( Reticulitermes hageni ). These are less important economically (such as in damage to crops) because of their more limited range.
Other termites species are found: Reticulitermes hesperus in California; Reticulitermes malletei in Mississippi; Reticulitermes nelsonae in Louisiana and Florida. [18]
The extended longevity of social insect queens is of interest because it implies the presence of an anti-aging mechanism. Long-lived queens of Reticulitermes speratus have markedly less oxidative damage to their DNA than non-reproductive individuals (workers, soldiers and nymphs). [19] Queens have more than twice the catalase activity and seven times higher levels of expression of the catalase gene RsCAT1 than workers, soldiers and nymphs. [19] Catalase catalyzes the decomposition the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, and protects against oxidative stress. It appears that the extended longevity of R. speratus queens is partially explained by their efficient antioxidant capability.
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.
Blattodea is an order of insects that contains cockroaches and termites. Formerly, termites were considered a separate order, Isoptera, but genetic and molecular evidence suggests they evolved from within the cockroach lineage, cladistically making them cockroaches as well. The Blattodea and the mantis are now all considered part of the superorder Dictyoptera. Blattodea includes approximately 4,400 species of cockroach in almost 500 genera, and about 3,000 species of termite in around 300 genera.
Reticulitermes flavipes, the eastern subterranean termite, is the most common termite found in North America. These termites are the most economically important wood destroying insects in the United States and are classified as pests. They feed on cellulose material such as the structural wood in buildings, wooden fixtures, paper, books, and cotton. A mature colony can range from 20,000 workers to as high as 5 million workers and the primary queen of the colony lays 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year to add to this total.
The Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System is a subterranean termite pest control product developed and manufactured by Corteva. It was introduced in 1995 as a termite baiting system and an alternative to liquid termicide soil barriers. It eliminates all members of the termite colony, including those of the Formosan subterranean termite colonies.
Rhinotermitidae is a family of wood-soil interface feeding termites commonly known as the Subterranean termites. Many members of this family are known pests that can cause extensive damage to buildings or other wooden structures. Most species establish colonies in wood before migrating to the ground to create diffuse nests connecting to multiple pieces of wood, with some taxa such as Coptotermitinae creating mounds or centralized carton nests within wood. All members forage via shelter tubes through the soil to sources of food. In addition, Rhinotermitidae are known for having a higher level of social complexity as compared to other termites. Communication takes place through chemical activity, more specifically through traces of cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC), or semiochemicals, acting as pheromones to send signals to the king and queen of the nest. About 345 species are recognized, among these are severe pests such as Coptotermes formosanus, Coptotermes gestroi, and Reticulitermes flavipes.
Coptotermes gestroi, commonly known as the Asian subterranean termite is a small species of termite that lives underground. Both this species and the Formosan subterranean termite are destructive pests native to Asia, but have spread to other parts of the world including the United States. In Asia, this species is known as the Philippine milk termite.
Parastylotermes is an extinct genus of termite in the Isoptera family Stylotermitidae known from North America, Europe, and India. The genus contains five described species, Parastylotermes calico, Parastylotermes frazieri, Parastylotermes krishnai, Parastylotermes robustus, and Parastylotermes washingtonensis.
Coptotermes is a genus of termites in the family Rhinotermitidae. Many of the roughly 71 species are economically destructive pests. The genus is thought to have originated in Southeast Asia. Worker termites from this genus forage underground and move about in roofed tunnels that they build along the surface.
Coptotermes acinaciformis is a species of subterranean termite in the family Rhinotermitidae native to Australia. Termites are social insects and build a communal nest. In the case of C. acinaciformis, this is either in the root crown of a tree or underground. From this, a network of galleries extends through the nearby soil, enabling the workers to forage in the surrounding area without emerging on the surface of the ground. This termite can cause substantial damage to trees and the wooden parts of buildings.
Zootermopsis is a genus of termites in the family Archotermopsidae. They are mostly found in western North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico, with the exception of Z. nevadensis, which has become established in Japan. They live in rotting wood, commonly inhabiting fallen or dead trees in North America's temperate rain forests, where they break down the wood's cellulose with the help of symbiotic protozoa and bacteria in their stomachs. The life and reproductive cycles of these termites are relatively normal compared to other members of its family. Species can be identified using the shape and position of the subsidiary tooth in all non-soldier castes, allowing a more certain identification than the previous method, which was based on the more ambiguous morphology of soldiers.
Reticulitermes lucifugus is classified as a species of termite in the genus Reticulitermes. Its diet consists mainly of rotten timber and logs. It is found in the Provence region, Italy, and the Broadleaf woodlands of North America.
Gnathamitermes perplexus, the long-jawed desert termites or tube-building termites, is a species of termite in the family Termitidae. It is found in Central America and North America. The species creates tunnels, with both colony founders and workers transporting sand to excavate tunnels using their mandibles. The species is particularly susceptible to infectious nematodes such as Steinernema riobrave.
Reticulitermes hageni, the light southeastern subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is found in North America.
Reticulitermes hesperus, the western subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Prorhinotermes simplex, the Cuban subterranean termite, is a species of lower termite in the genus Prorhinotermes. It is found in Colombia. Like others in its genus, it is a single-site nesting termite that moves to a new food source when theirs is gone, and it lacks a true worker caste.
Reticulitermes speratus, the Japanese termite, is a species of subterranean termite found in Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. It eats decayed wood. It is adapted to withstand the cold temperatures of the temperate regions it inhabits.
Reticulitermes arenincola is a species of subterranean termite native to North America.
Reticulitermes virginicus is a species of subterranean termite native to North America, found often in the southern United States. It was described in 1907.
Reticulitermes tibialis, the arid-land subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is found in the United States, mostly in the western half, occurring in deserts, prairies and other dry locations.
Heterotermes aureus, commonly known as the desert subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is native to the deserts of North America where the colony has an underground nest.
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