Kalotermitidae
Guides
Cryptotermes brevis
West Indian drywood termite, powderpost termite
Cryptotermes brevis is a drywood termite in the family Kalotermitidae. Unlike subterranean termites, it does not require soil contact and can complete its entire life cycle within dry wood. The species is a significant invasive pest, having been anthropogenically dispersed from its probable Neotropical origin to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It infests structural timbers, furniture, and wooden objects, causing substantial economic damage. Colonies remain entirely within infested wood pieces, making detection difficult until damage is advanced.
Cryptotermes cavifrons
Florida Drywood Termite
Cryptotermes cavifrons is a drywood termite native to North America, commonly known as the Florida Drywood Termite. It constructs one-piece nests entirely within dry, solid wood, where the colony lives and feeds without foraging outside. The species exhibits very low cuticular and nest microbial loads compared to dampwood termites, reflecting its arid nesting environment.
Incisitermes
Incisitermes is a genus of drywood termites in the family Kalotermitidae, established by Krishna in 1961. Species in this genus are distributed across the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, including notable pests such as the western drywood termite (I. minor) and the light southeastern drywood termite (I. snyderi). These termites exhibit the characteristic biology of drywood termites, living entirely within wood without requiring soil contact.
Incisitermes arizonensis
Incisitermes arizonensis is a species of drywood termite in the family Kalotermitidae, originally described by Snyder in 1926. GBIF records indicate this name is currently treated as a synonym of Incisitermes minor. The genus Incisitermes comprises drywood termites that infest dead wood and do not require soil contact for colony establishment. Like other kalotermitids, this species likely exhibits the typical drywood termite biology of nesting directly within sound or decaying wood.
Incisitermes minor
Western Drywood Termite
Incisitermes minor, commonly known as the western drywood termite, is a drywood termite species in the family Kalotermitidae. Native to western North America, it has become established across much of the United States and has been introduced to Hawaii, China, and Japan. It is a significant structural pest, ranking as the second most destructive termite in California after the western subterranean termite (Reticulitermes hesperus), with estimated annual economic impact of approximately $250 million in California and Arizona combined. The species forms one-piece nests entirely within dry wood, does not require soil contact, and exhibits temperature-driven seasonal and daily activity patterns.
Incisitermes 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.
Incisitermes snyderi
Southeastern Drywood Termite
A drywood termite species in the family Kalotermitidae, found in the southeastern United States. Colonies are small to moderate in size and live entirely within wood without soil contact. The species is a significant pest of structural timber and wooden objects in its range.
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.
Marginitermes
Marginitermes is a genus of drywood termites in the family Kalotermitidae, established by Krishna in 1961. The genus contains three described species: M. absitus, M. cactiphagus, and M. hubbardi (the light western drywood termite). Species in this genus are found in arid and semi-arid regions of North America.
Marginitermes hubbardi
light western drywood termite
Marginitermes hubbardi, commonly called the light western drywood termite, is a drywood termite species in the family Kalotermitidae. It is distinguished from the sympatric Incisitermes minor by its notably paler winged reproductives. The species is native to arid regions of southwestern North America and Central America, where it colonizes dry wood including living trees, dead cacti, and human structures. Unlike dampwood or subterranean termites, it does not require soil contact or high moisture levels to establish colonies.
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.
Neotermes castaneus
Florida dampwood termite, southern damp-wood termite
Neotermes castaneus is a dampwood termite species in the family Kalotermitidae, commonly known as the Florida dampwood termite or southern damp-wood termite. It is distributed across the Caribbean Sea, Central America, North America, and South America. As a member of the Kalotermitidae family, it is a drywood-type termite that does not require contact with soil moisture, distinguishing it from subterranean termites.
Paraneotermes
desert dampwood termites
Paraneotermes is a genus of dampwood termites in the family Kalotermitidae, established by Light in 1934. Species in this genus inhabit arid and semi-arid regions of western North America. The genus includes at least one well-studied species, Paraneotermes simplicicornis, known from the southwestern United States. Members exhibit distinctive collective nest-building behaviors, including a unique "kicking" method of soil excavation that differs from other termite genera.
Paraneotermes simplicicornis
Desert Dampwood Termite
Paraneotermes simplicicornis is a desert-dwelling dampwood termite native to arid regions of southwestern North America. It is notable for its distinctive cooperative tunneling behavior, in which workers pass excavated soil backward through the tunnel in a bucket-brigade fashion rather than carrying it individually. The species colonizes dead and decaying Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) and initiates new colonies following monsoon rains, typically in September.
Pterotermes
Pterotermes is a monotypic genus of drywood termites in the family Kalotermitidae, containing only Pterotermes occidentis. This primitive termite is the largest drywood termite in the southwestern United States deserts and exhibits the simple life cycle characteristic of its family, lacking a true worker caste. Colonies develop entirely within a single piece of timber, making it a cryptic inhabitant of dead desert wood.
Pterotermes occidentis
western dry-wood termite
Pterotermes occidentis is a primitive dry-wood termite and the sole species in the monotypic genus Pterotermes. It inhabits extremely arid environments in the Sonoran Desert region, living entirely within single pieces of dry timber. Unlike many termites, it does not maintain contact with soil and completes its entire life cycle within its wood host.