Family Archotermopsidae - Rottenwood Termites

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · See Also · Works Cited

Zootermopsis augusticollis - Zootermopsis angusticollis - female

Pest boring through middle of Elderberry canes - Zootermopsis angusticollis

Female, Zootermopsis laticeps? - Zootermopsis laticeps

Nevada Dampwood Termite - Zootermopsis nevadensis

Dampwood termite July 31 - Zootermopsis nevadensis

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 Archotermopsidae (Rottenwood Termites)

Other Common Names

Dampwood termites

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

As currently treated, the family Termopsidae includes fossil taxa only; the five recent genera formerly included in Termopsidae (e.g. here) have been moved to the newly erected Archotermopsidae (3 genera, including Zootermopsis) and Stolotermitidae (2 exotic genera)(1)(2); Archotermopsidae also used to be treated as a subfamily (Termopsinae Holmgren, 1911) in Hodotermitidae [e.g., in (3)], currently defined as 3 Old World genera with 21 species commonly known as harvester termites(1)(4)

Explanation of Names

Archotermopsidae Engel, Grimaldi, and Krishna 2009

Numbers

3 species in a single genus in our area(3), 12 extant species in 3 genera total(1)(4)

Identification

Alates lack ocelli and a fontanelle, soldiers as typical with the “termopsid” (Hodotermitidae, Stolotermitidae and Archotermopsidae) termites possess very large, somewhat flattened heads, with large flat serrated downward pointing mandibles

See:

Zootermopsis

Range

One genus nearctic (Zootermopsis), along with 2 genera around East and Southeast Asia(4)

Remarks

One of the basal taxa, rather primitive in regards to behaviour

See Also

Zootermopsis

Works Cited

1.	Constantino R. (2002-2012) On-line termite database

2.	Termites (Isoptera): Their phylogeny, classification, and rise to ecological dominance Engel M.S., Grimaldi D.A., Krishna K. 2009. American Museum Novitates 3650: 1-27.

3.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

4.	Treatise on the Isoptera of the world. (Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, no. 377) Krishna, K. 2013. American Museum of Natural History.

Contributed by Eric R. Eaton on 8 September, 2006 - 3:58pm
Additional contributions by ceiseman, v belov, 2R R R
Last updated 7 June, 2019 - 3:05am

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