 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2014) |
| Serritermitidae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Infraorder: | Isoptera |
| Parvorder: | Euisoptera |
| Nanorder: | Neoisoptera |
| Family: | Serritermitidae Holmgren, 1910 [1] |
Serritermitidae is a family of termites belonging to the infraorder Isoptera in the order Blattodea. [2] The family includes only a few species, which live in South America.
These termites are much like the family Rhinotermitidae, to which they are related. The soldiers' jaws are sharply toothed on the inner side. At all stages, the mandible is strikingly sharp. The flying stages have fore wings with only one longitudinal vein, slightly ahead of the center of the wing. From this it affects numerous oblique veins to the wing trailing edge.
They are located in or on the ground. Their mode of life resembles the family Rhinotermitidae. Serritermes serrifer lives in the walls of the tufts of termites in the genus Cornitermes (Termitidae).
S. serresi is known from the states of Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso, Brazil. The two Glossotermes species are known only from the Amazon region of Brazil.
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.
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.
Amitermitinae is a disputed subfamily of "higher termites" now often merged with the subfamily Termitinae and is considered by ITIS as a synonym; it had previously been placed in the family Rhinotermitidae.
Mastotermitidae is a family of termites with one sole living species, Mastotermes darwiniensis which is found only in northern Australia. The remaining genera of this family are only known from the fossil record.
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.
Mastotermes is a genus of termites. The sole living species is Mastotermes darwiniensis, found only in northern Australia. A number of extinct taxa are known from fossils. It is a very peculiar insect, the most primitive termite alive. As such, it shows notable similarities to cockroaches in the family Cryptocercidae, the termites' closest relatives. These similarities include the anal lobe of the wing and the laying of eggs in bunches, rather than singly. The termites were traditionally placed in the Exopterygota, but such an indiscriminate treatment makes that group a paraphyletic grade of basal neopterans. Thus, the cockroaches, termites and their relatives are nowadays placed in a clade called Dictyoptera.
Reticulitermes is a termite genus in the family Rhinotermitidae. They are found in most temperate regions on Earth including much of Asia and the Middle East, Western Europe, and all of North America.
Heterotermes indicola, is a species of subterranean termite of the genus Heterotermes. It is native to tropical India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka but has extended its range into the subtropics and warm temperate areas of the Himalayan foothills to altitudes of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It causes damage to timber in buildings and is one of the most destructive termites in urban and agricultural areas in the world. Soldiers are about 4.1-4.9mm long. Extracts of garlic and Calotropis procera are known to have termiticidal effects on H. indicola.
Zootermopsis laticeps, known generally as Arizona dampwood termite, is a species of termite in the family Archotermopsidae. Other common names include the wide-headed rottenwood termite and southwestern rottenwood termite. It is found in arid parts of south-western 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.
Marginitermes hubbardi, commonly known as the light western drywood termite, is a species of termite in the family Kalotermitidae. It is found in Central America and desert regions of southwestern North America.
Stolotermitidae is a family of termites in the order Blattodea, with two extant genera formerly placed in the family Termopsidae. There are about 14 described species in Stolotermitidae.
Stylotermitidae is a family of termites in the order Blattodea. There are two extinct and one extant genera in Stylotermitidae, with more than 50 described species.
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 virginicus is a species of subterranean termite native to North America, found often in the southern United States. It was described in 1907.
Archeorhinotermes is an extinct genus of termites in the family Archeorhinotermitidae, and is the sole genus of the family. There is one described species in Archeorhinotermes, A. rossi. It was discovered in Burmese amber.
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.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
