Prorhinotermes is a genus of mostly tropical, subterranean termites. The greatest diversity exists in coastal areas of South East Asia, often in mangrove swamps. Prorhinotermes flavus is one of the few species of termites that can survive in waterlogged mangrove swamps, albeit nesting in damp, rotting wood and is confined to drier, deeper soil in the mangrove swamps.
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Archives for Termite pictures
Termite pictures – Amitermes dentatus
Amitermes is an interesting genus of termite, with many species distributed worldwide. The most well known are the mound building species from Australia, Amitermes meridionalis, the so-called Magnetic Termites. Amitermes species occur worldwide, and build a variety of nests ranging from subterranean to surface mounds, to aerial nests.
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Termite pictures – Reticulitermes species
The following photos were sent by a reader, Angela, from Nashville, Tennessee. While poking around in the garden, the reader came across some white colored insects and wondered if they might be termites. She dropped me an email to ask my opinion. With her kind permission, I’d like to share some of the photos here.
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Termite pictures – Longipeditermes longipes
Longipeditermes longipes is a single species forest dwelling nasute genus that is dark in color, and is often seen openly foraging for food on the floor of the tropical forests of Malaysia and Borneo. There is no other species in this genus; it is a monotypic genus. Their foraging columns may stretch for nearly 100 meters (330 feet), in which workers fan out from their nests in search of lichen, ascending trees and lianas to get to them, which they then chew into balls and transport back home in a seemingly endless procession.
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Termite pictures – Microtermes pakistanicus
Microtermes is a genus of Macrotermitinae that is so named because it is the opposite of Macrotermes, being pretty small in size, but still recognizably one of the Macrotermitinae, as can be inferred from the appearance of the workers. This particular species is likely to be Macrotermes pakistanicus, a wide ranging Microtermes species found in Pakistan eastwards to Thailand. They are highly common in agricultural estates.
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Termite pictures – Odontotermes longignathus
The Odontotermes genus is one of the Macrotermitinae and there are many species of Odontotermes, which are either subterranean or mound building. The Odontotermes range from Africa to Asia. They are so named from a small characteristic “tooth” which appears as a crenulation on the soldier’s left mandible. In some species, this “tooth” is rather prominent, but in other species quite obscure, only visible when the soldier opens its mandibles.
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Termite pictures – Coptotermes curvignathus
Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) from the genus Coptotermes is a destructive termite species of tree plantations in South East Asia and attacks live trees. It is similar to other Coptotermes species like Coptotermes travians and Coptotermes gestroi with the main differences in its being larger, and having strong incurved mandibles, and also a distinctive habit of attacking trees by encasing the surface of the tree trunk with a layer of soil.
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Termite pictures – Coptotermes gestroi
Coptotermes gestroi or the Asian Subterranean Termite is one of the most destructive termites in Asia (along with the Formosan Subterranean Termite), responsible for much of the termite damage statistics reported. Small and hardy, Coptotermes gestroi has been reported in new countries outside of its native range, including Australia and parts of USA, indicating an ability to adapt to new environments easily.
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Termite pictures – Globitermes sulphureus
Globitermes sulphureus (subfamily Termitinae) is a species of termite that is common in agricultural areas and largely feeds on decaying natural, wood. It does not attack live trees but has been documented as occasionally attacking the wooden sections of man made buildings. For the most part, Globitermes sulphureus is confined to forests below 200 meters above sea level, and in plantations; almost never found in urban areas.
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Termite pictures – Macrotermes carbonarius
Macrotermes carbonarius is the only open foraging Macrotermes species and also the only black species, that I know of. It is found in South East Asia and parts of Indochina, but its range is patchy and it is only locally abundant. This means where it occurs, it is common, but where it is not found, there is no trace of them, even over vast swaths of what would be considered suitable habitat. It mainly occurs in lowland rainforest areas, but can be found in crop/agricultural plantations.
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