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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Cockroaches and Termites (Blattodea) » Blattoidea » Epifamily Termitoidae - Termites » Higher Termites (Termitidae)

Family Termitidae - Higher Termites

Classification · Pronunciation · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Habitat · Remarks · Works Cited
Reticulitermes? - Gnathamitermes 7006460 Termite - Amitermes parvulus Termites from under rock - Gnathamitermes Termites from under rock - Gnathamitermes Gnathamitermes Worker, Tenuirostritermes tenuirostris? - Tenuirostritermes tenuirostris Large termite - Tenuirostritermes tenuirostris Tenuirostritermes cinereus - Tenuirostritermes cinereus
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 Termitidae (Higher Termites)
Pronunciation
ter-MIT-i-dee (tĕr-mĭt'ĭ-dē)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Termitidae Latreille 1802
Numbers
by far the largest termite family, with 11 spp. in 5 genera of 3 subfamilies in our area(1), >2000 spp. in almost 250 genera of 8 subfamilies worldwide (70% of all described termite spp.)(2)
Habitat
important foragers of plant litter, grass and dung in the deserts of sw. US
Remarks
Unlike lower termites, which have both bacteria and protozoa in their guts, higher termites have only bacteria. Most are harmless, not known to cause serious structural damage, even though species of Amitermes feed mostly on wood.
[subfamily Apicotermitinae is represented in our area by a single species, Anoplotermes fumosus (Hagen 1860); >200 spp. in 42 genera worldwide(2)]
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
2.Constantino R. (2002-2012) On-line termite database
Contributed by Hannah Nendick-Mason on 9 October, 2006 - 8:05pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, v belov
Last updated 25 August, 2013 - 5:03pm

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