Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData

Family Kalotermitidae - Drywood and Dampwood Termites

Beetle...? - Incisitermes minor It has wings but I haven’t seen it fly - Incisitermes minor termite - Kalotermes approximatus Found in home  - Incisitermes minor Termite at blacklight - Neotermes Incisitermes schwarzi - Neotermes jouteli Incisitermes arizonensis, pseudergate - Incisitermes arizonensis Incisitermes minor queen - Incisitermes minor - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Blattodea (Cockroaches and Termites)
Superfamily Blattoidea
No Taxon (Epifamily Termitoidae - Termites)
Family Kalotermitidae (Drywood and Dampwood Termites)
Numbers
18 spp. in 8 genera in our area(1), ~450 spp. in 21 genera worldwide(2)
Food
These termites have symbiotic flagellates in their rectum; these flagellates are lost when the insect molts and they are regained from the anal fluid of other individuals in the colony. The production of this fluid is stimulated when a termite touches the perianal region of another with its antennae. The fluid may also have direct nutritional value.(3)
Remarks
These termites often leave little sign of their presence inside wood.

Species known to occur in NA:
Calcaritermes Snyder 1933: nearcticus (Snyder 1933)
Cryptotermes Banks 1906: brevis (Walker 1853), cavifrons Banks 1906
Incisitermes Krishna 1961: arizonensis (Snyder 1926), banksi (Snyder 1920), fruticavus Rust 1979, milleri (Emerson 1943), minor (Hagen 1858), schwarzi (Banks 1920), snyderi (Light 1933)
Kalotermes Hagen 1853: approximatus Snyder 1920
Marginitermes Krishna 1961: hubbardi (Banks 1920)
Neotermes Holmgren 1911: castaneus (Burmeister 1839), jouteli (Banks 1920), luykxi Nickle and Collins 1989
Paraneotermes Light 1937: simplicicornis (Banks 1920)
Pterotermes Holmgren 1911: occidentis (Walker 1853)