Isoptera
Guides
Archotermopsidae
Dampwood termites
Archotermopsidae is a small family of primitive termites in the order Blattodea, commonly known as dampwood termites. The family was established in 2009 when five genera were split from the former Termopsidae. As of 2022, it contains two extant genera: Archotermopsis and Zootermopsis, with five living species. These termites are characterized by their dependence on moist or decaying wood and their limited economic importance compared to other termite families.
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-flyTabanidaeDipteramedical-entomologyovipositionfecundityring-clawed-deer-flyVermontUnited-Statesmud-substrategelatinous-egg-massChrysopsinaeChrysopsiniWalker-1848iNaturalistlaboratory-rearingegg-mass156-eggsrange-42-312near-watermud-like-substrateegg-depositionreproductionbehavioral-studymedical-entomology-researchinsect-vectorsbiting-fliestabanid-flieshorse-fliesdeer-fliesChrysopsNorth-AmericaNew-Englandobservation-recordssynonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Lifeaccepted-status-in-GBIFarthropodinsectflyBrachyceraTabanomorphaHexapodaPterygotaAnimaliaArthropodaInsectacincticornisChrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornisdeerflyhorseflytabanidbiting-flyvectoroviposition-behaviorfecundity-studyJournal-of-Medical-Entomology198210.1093/jmedent/19.5.597gelatinous-secretionmudwaterlaboratory-conditionsmean-fecundityegg-productionreproductive-biologyentomologyinsect-behaviorinsect-reproductiondipterantrue-flytwo-winged-flynematoceranCyclorrhaphaAschizaSchizophoraAcalyptrataeCalyptrataeOestroideaMuscoideaHippoboscoideaGlossinidaeCalliphoridaeSarcophagidaeMuscidaeFanniidaeAnthomyiidaeScathophagidaeOestridaeTachinidaeSiphonapteraPhthirapteraHemipteraColeopteraLepidopteraHymenopteraNeuropteraMegalopteraRaphidiopteraTrichopteraStrepsipteraMecopteraDipluraProturaCollembolaZygentomaArchaeognathaEphemeropteraOdonataPlecopteraGrylloblattodeaMantophasmatodeaPhasmatodeaOrthopteraDermapteraEmbiopteraZorapteraIsopteraBlattodeaMantodeaPhyllodocidaNotopteraWalker1848speciestaxongelatinoushabitatdistributionGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBIlaboratory-studybehaviorlife-cyclesubstratemud-likemeanrange42-312femaleobservationrecordspecimencollectionmuseumresearchstudyarticleabstractDOIbiologyecologyhorse-flyacceptedsynonymtaxonomyclassificationUS291-observationslaboratory291-iNaturalist-observationsGBIF-distribution-recordsaccepted-species-statussynonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life156-eggs-mean-fecundityrange-42-312-eggs1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publicationDOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597entomology-researchdipteran-biologyIncisitermes schwarzi
Schwarz's Drywood Termite
Incisitermes schwarzi is a drywood termite species in the family Kalotermitidae, commonly known as Schwarz's Drywood Termite. It inhabits dry, dead wood in intact branches and exhibits a one-piece nesting ecology where colonies remain within their food source. Colonies are relatively small, typically containing 50–250 individuals with mixed developmental stages. The species shows strong social disease resistance mechanisms, with grouped individuals significantly more resistant to fungal infection than isolated ones.
Kalotermes
Kalotermes is a genus of drywood termites in the family Kalotermitidae, considered one of the most primitive termite families. The genus contains multiple species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions, including North America, Australia, and Europe. Species in this genus are characterized by their ability to colonize dry wood without requiring contact with soil. The genus has been studied for its social polymorphism, caste differentiation, and digging behaviors.
Kalotermitidae
Drywood Termites
Kalotermitidae, commonly known as drywood termites, is a basal family of termites with 21 genera and 419 species, making it the second most diverse termite family after Termitidae. The family exhibits a cosmopolitan circumtropical distribution and is characterized by colonies that inhabit sound wood without soil contact. Unlike many termites, Kalotermitidae lack a true worker caste; instead, immature individuals called pseudergates perform worker functions before developing into soldiers or reproductives. The family includes significant pest species such as Cryptotermes brevis and Incisitermes minor, which cause economic damage to wooden structures, furniture, and utility towers worldwide.
Neotermes
Neotermes is a genus of drywood termites in the family Kalotermitidae, established by Nils Holmgren in 1911. Species are obligate wood-nesters that inhabit dead wood, including branches of living trees. The genus includes over 100 described species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Some species exhibit facultative parthenogenesis, though they lack the asexual queen succession system found in other parthenogenetic termites. Neotermes castaneus is the type species.
Tenuirostritermes cinereus
Tenuirostritermes cinereus is a species of termite in the family Termitidae, subfamily Nasutitermitinae. It was first described by Buckley in 1862. The species is distributed across Central America and North America. As a member of the Nasutitermitinae, it belongs to a group commonly known as "nasute termites" characterized by specialized defensive secretions.
Zootermopsis
dampwood termites
Zootermopsis is a genus of dampwood termites in the family Archotermopsidae, containing four extant and one extinct species native to western North America. These termites inhabit decaying wood in temperate rain forests, where they digest cellulose with the aid of symbiotic gut protists and bacteria. The genus exhibits complex social organization with distinct castes including reproductives, soldiers, and pseudergates. Species identification relies on subsidiary tooth morphology in non-soldier castes, a more reliable method than soldier-based characteristics.