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 often unpigmented worker caste for which they have been commonly termed "white ants"; however, they are not ants, to which they are only 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.
Michael S. Engel, FLS, FRES was an American paleontologist and entomologist, notable for contributions to insect evolutionary biology and classification. In connection with his studies he undertook field expeditions in Central Asia, Asia Minor, the Levant, Arabia, eastern Africa, the high Arctic, and South and North America, and published more than 925 papers in scientific journals.Some of Engel's research images were included in exhibitions on the aesthetic value of scientific imagery.
The Macrotermitinae, the fungus-growing termites, constitute a subfamily of the family Termitidae that is only found within the Old World tropics.
Kalotermitidae is a family of termites, commonly known as drywood termites. Kalotermitidae includes 21 genera and 419 species. The family has a cosmopolitan circumtropical distribution, and is found in functionally arid environments.
Zophotermes is an extinct genus of termite in the Isoptera family Rhinotermitidae known from two Eocene fossils found in India. The genus contains a single described species, Zophotermes ashoki placed in the subfamily Prorhinotermitinae.
Nanotermes is an extinct genus of termites in the Isoptera family Termitidae known from only one Eocene fossil found in amber of the Cambay Basin. The genus contains a single described species, Nanotermes isaacae placed tentatively in the subfamily Termitinae.
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.
The Nasutitermitinae is a cosmopolitan subfamily of higher termites that includes more than 80 genera. They are most recognisable by the more highly derived soldier caste which exhibits vestigial mandibles and a protruding fontanellar process on the head from which they can "shoot" chemical weaponry. True workers of certain genera within this subfamily also exhibit a visible epicranial y suture, most notably found within the members of Nasutitermes. Notable genera include the notorious wood-eating Nasutitermes, and the conspicuous Hospitalitermes and Constrictotermes, both genera characterized by their behavior of forming large open-air foraging trails.
The Indo-Malaysian drywood termite,, is a species of dry wood termite of the genus Cryptotermes. It is found in Philippines, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and introduced to Sri Lanka. It is the smallest termite species in Australia, with 2.5 – 3.7mm in soldiers.
Blattoidea is a superfamily of cockroaches and termites in the order Blattodea. There are about 17 families and more than 4,100 described species in Blattoidea.
Archotermopsidae is a family of termites in the order Blattodea, known as dampwood termites, formerly included within the family Termopsidae. They constitute a small and rather primitive family with two extant genera and 5 living species. They may rarely infest structures but do not usually do so, nor do they cause extensive damage to buildings or other man-made structures unless said structure has been sufficiently damaged such as by water. As their name implies, they eat wood that is not dried out, perhaps even rotting, and are consequently of little use to humans.
Hospitalitermes is an Asian–Papuan genus of lichen-eating termite in the subfamily Nasutitermitinae. There are 37 species currently listed, of which most are recognized for their extensive surface foraging columns. Due to their conspicuous foraging activities, they are commonly known as processionary or marching termites. They often inhabit cavities inside of living trees excavated by other species of termite.
Ceylonitermes is a genus of termites in the subfamily Nasutitermitinae. They are found in South and Southeast Asia.
Syntermes is a genus of large Neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Syntermitinae. The genus is found only in South America where members are distributed widely throughout the continent, being found from the tropical rainforests of Colombia to the savannas of Brazil and Northern Argentina.
The Syntermitinae, also known as the mandibulate nasutes, is a Neotropical subfamily of higher termites represented by 21 genera and 103 species. The soldier caste of members of this subfamily have a conspicuous horn-like projection on the head which is adapted for chemical defense, similar to the fontanellar gun of true nasute termites (Nasutitermitinae). However unlike true nasutes, the mandibles of the soldiers are functional and highly developed, and they are unable to expel their chemical weaponry at a distance – instead relying on direct physical contact. Some genera, such as Syntermes or Labiotermes, have a highly reduced nasus and in some species it may appear absent altogether. Although the Syntermitinae were once grouped and considered basal within the Nasutitermitinae, they are not closely related with modern cladistic analyses showing Syntermitinae to be a separate and distinct lineage that is more closely related to either the Amitermes-group or MicrocerotermesTermitinae. It is believed the nasus evolved independently in Syntermitinae in an example of convergent evolution. Genera range from southern Mexico (Cahuallitermes) to Northern Argentina with the highest diversity occurring in the Brazilian Cerrado.
Rhynchotermes is a genus of Neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Syntermitinae, represented by 8 known species. Species of this genus are known for their soldiers which have highly developed sickle-shaped mandibles and a pronounced frontal tube superficially analogous to the fontanellar guns of true nasute termites. Most species forage above the surface in the open where they primarily feed on forest leaf litter. Nests are subterranean or are shallow and epigeic.
The Cubitermitinae are an Afrotropical subfamily of higher termites with 28 known genera and 147 species. The nests of most taxa are either subterranean or found within the mounds of other termite species. The most well known genus of this subfamily is Cubitermes, which commonly build epigeal nests with one or more caps used to shield the nest against rainfall, giving them a characteristic mushroom shape. Most members of this subfamily are soil-feeders.
The Cambay Shale Formation is geologic formation in the Cambay Basin, India. It is of lower Eocene age. It varies in thickness from a few meters on the margins of the basin to more than 2,500m in the depressions. It directly overlies the Olpad Formation and is, in turn, overlain by the Anklesvar Formation in the southern part of the basin and by Kalol Formation in the northern part of the basin. Further north, the Cambay Shale, in its lower part, is gradually replaced by tongues of paralic-deltaic Kadi Formation and finally by Tharad Formation.
Hodotermopsis is a genus of termites. It is the only genus in the family Hodotermopsidae, which was elevated from the subfamily Hodotermopsinae in 2022. It contains a single extant species, H. sjostedti, and the fossil species H. iwatensis. Hodotermopsidae together with Stolotermitidae, Hodotermitidae, and Archotermopsidae, form the monophyletic clade Teletisoptera under Euisoptera which is confirmed to be a sister group to Mastotermitidae.
