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 distantly related. About 2,972 extant species are currently described, 2,105 of which are members of the family Termitidae.
Michael S. Engel, FLS, FRES is an American paleontologist and entomologist, notable for contributions to insect evolutionary biology and classification. In connection with his studies he has undertaken field expeditions in Central Asia, Asia Minor, the Levant, Arabia, eastern Africa, the high Arctic, and South and North America, and has published more than 925 papers in scientific journals and over 1000 new living and fossil species. 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.
The domestic drywood termite,, is a species of dry wood termite of the genus Cryptotermes. It is native to Malaysia, Borneo, Australia, China and Sri Lanka. It is mainly a house termite and also found in cultivated areas. The presence of this termite can be identified by small heaps of tiny egg-like pellets of excreta. It is a larger termite species, with 3.25-5.90mm in soldiers. It is considered as a minor pest in Australia, but is a serious pest causing wood damage in other parts of the world.
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.
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.
Glyptotermes is a genus of termite in the family Kalotermitidae. With 127 species worldwide as of 2013, is the family's most speciose genus, and the second most speciose in the New World after Cryptotermes.
Constrictotermes is a genus of Neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Nasutitermitinae. They form large open-air foraging columns from which they travel to and from their sources of food, similar to the Indomalayan species of processionary termites. Species of this genus commonly build epigeal or arboreal nests and feed on a variety of lichens, rotted woods and mosses.
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. 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.
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.
