Soil-feeding

Guides

• Apicotermitinae

  Typical Soldierless Termites and Allies

  Apicotermitinae is a highly diverse subfamily of termites within Termitidae, comprising 64 genera and 236 species distributed across the Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan realms. The subfamily is predominantly soil-feeding, with most species inhabiting diffuse subterranean nests. A defining feature of most Apicotermitinae is the evolutionary loss of the soldier caste, which occurred independently in at least two separate lineages. In the absence of soldiers, workers have evolved alternative defense mechanisms including increased aggression and autothysis.

  soldierless-termitessoil-feedingautothysisdehiscent-organtermite-defensehumus-feedingNeotropicalAfrotropicalIndomalayansubterranean-nestsgut-morphologyenteric-valvemolecular-systematicsCOICOII16Sgregarine-parasitesRuptitermesSpeculitermesTriclavitermesDissimulitermesGrigiotermesAnoplotermes-groupCaatingaAtlantic-ForestWestern-Ghats