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Amitermitinae
Amitermitinae is a subfamily of higher termites in the family Termitidae. A recent genomic classification revived the name as a supported lineage within Termitidae. The group includes 14 genera and about 194 described species , and occurs across tropical biogeographic realms. Its members are termites: eusocial cockroaches that live in organized colonies rather than as solitary insects.
Apicotermitinae
Apicotermitinae is a subfamily of termites in the family Termitidae. It is a diverse group whose members are documented from the Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan biogeographic realms. Available summaries describe the subfamily as predominantly soil-feeding, although the group includes ecological variation and should not be treated as a single species. The subfamily has also been the subject of molecular work on termite phylogeny and historical biogeography.
Archotermopsidae
Archotermopsidae is a family of termites commonly called dampwood termites. It is placed in Blattodea, the order that includes termites and cockroaches, and is treated in modern sources as a distinct termite family rather than as the older, broader Termopsidae. The family account identifies Archotermopsis and Zootermopsis as its extant genera. Its name reflects an association with moist or decaying wood, although family-level sources do not make every trait uniform across all members.
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.
Atelurinae
Atelurinae is a subfamily of small, primitive insects in the order Zygentoma and family Nicoletiidae. Members are commonly discussed in connection with ant or termite nests, where they may live as inquilines: organisms occupying a host's living space. The subfamily is taxonomically diverse, but its members are not all equally well documented in general references. A Western Australian study shows that some Atelurinae also occur in subterranean settings, including the semi-arid Pilbara region.
Blattodea
cockroaches and termites
Blattodea is an order of insects comprising approximately 4,400 species of cockroaches and 3,000 species of termites. Formerly treated as separate orders, termites were subsumed into Blattodea based on genetic and molecular evidence demonstrating their evolution from within the cockroach lineage. The order exhibits remarkable diversity in social organization, ranging from solitary cockroaches to eusocial termites with complex caste systems. Together with Mantodea, Blattodea forms the superorder Dictyoptera.
Cubitermitinae
Cubitermitinae is an Afrotropical subfamily of higher termites in Termitidae. It includes many genera and species, including Cubitermes and Noditermes. Members process soil-associated organic material and use varied nest structures. Exact traits vary among genera and species.
Heterotermitidae
Heterotermitidae is a family of termites whose members are associated with subterranean foraging and nesting. The family includes Heterotermes, Reticulitermes, and Coptotermes, although its limits and relationships have been revised as molecular studies have changed termite classification. Many members work at the soil–wood interface, using underground galleries or mud tubes to reach food and shelter. The family is therefore important both to decomposition and to the study of termites that can damage timber.
Hodotermitidae
Hodotermitidae is a family of Old World termites commonly called harvester termites. Living members are placed in three genera: Anacanthotermes, Hodotermes, and Microhodotermes. The family occurs mainly in arid and seasonally dry parts of Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia, where colonies collect plant material and live in soil nests. Its family-level traits include serrated inner mandibular edges and functional compound eyes in all castes.
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.
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
Kalotermitidae is a family of termites often called drywood termites because many members live in wood rather than in soil. The family has a broad, mainly circumtropical distribution, although individual species have narrower ranges. Members are eusocial cockroach relatives whose colonies contain reproductive and nonreproductive forms. Family-level traits vary, so a species or genus should not be identified from the family name alone.
Macrotermitinae
Macrotermitinae is a subfamily of termites in Termitidae. Its members are commonly called fungus-growing termites because colonies cultivate fungi inside their nests. Workers gather plant debris, process it, and place it in fungal combs; the fungus breaks down the material and contributes to colony nutrition. The subfamily is native to tropical parts of the Old World.
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.
Mastotermitidae
Mastotermitidae is a termite family represented by one living species, Mastotermes darwiniensis, the giant northern termite. It is restricted to northern Australia and is notable for retaining several features that resemble cockroaches, the closest living relatives of termites. The family's living representative forms colonies in underground galleries and in wood, where workers process cellulose-rich material. Although natural colonies may be inconspicuous, well-watered sites with accessible timber can support large populations that damage structures and vegetation.
Mirocapritermitinae
Mirocapritermitinae is a subfamily of termites in Termitidae. It contains 14 recognized genera and was revived as a formal subfamily in a 2024 classification based on genomic evidence. The group occurs across the tropical Old World. Published descriptions characterize its members as predominantly soil-feeders or feeders at the soil-wood boundary.
Nasutitermitinae
Nasute Termites
Nasutitermitinae is a subfamily of higher termites within Termitidae, comprising 81 genera and approximately 605 species with near-cosmopolitan distribution. The subfamily is distinguished by a highly derived soldier caste bearing vestigial mandibles and a prominent fontanellar process (the nasus) used to project chemical defenses. Notable genera include Nasutitermes, Hospitalitermes, and Constrictotermes, the latter two recognized for forming conspicuous above-ground foraging trails.
Nasutitermitinae
Nasutitermitinae is a subfamily of higher termites in the family Termitidae. Its name refers to the distinctive nasus, a projecting structure on the head of the specialized soldier caste in many members. These soldiers can use the structure to discharge defensive chemicals, especially against attackers such as ants. The subfamily has a near-cosmopolitan distribution and includes both wood-associated and litter- or soil-associated lineages, so its members do not share one single habitat or diet.
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.
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.
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.
Reticulitermes
subterranean termites
Reticulitermes is a genus of subterranean termites in the family Rhinotermitidae, found across temperate regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. These termites are economically significant structural pests that live in soil and construct mud tubes to access above-ground wood. Colonies exhibit a three-caste system of workers, soldiers, and reproductives, with workers retaining developmental plasticity to become ergatoid reproductives. Species identification within the genus often requires molecular techniques due to overlapping morphological characteristics.
Rhinotermitidae
Rhinotermitidae is a family of termites within Blattodea, the cockroach order. It is associated with termites historically treated as subterranean termites, although the limits and relationships of termite families have been revised as genomic evidence has accumulated. The family is recorded across several warm and temperate biogeographic realms and includes genera such as Rhinotermes and Schedorhinotermes. Its members belong to a social insect lineage whose colonies can influence dead plant material and soil processes.
Serritermitidae
Serritermitidae is a small family of termites in the order Blattodea and the infraorder Isoptera. The family contains only a few described species, and the available family account places them in South America. Its best-known structural clues are the sharply toothed inner margins of the soldiers’ mandibles and the distinctive venation of the winged stages. Serritermitidae is unusual among termites in the way one member is reported to live in the walls of another termite’s mound.
Stolotermitidae
Stolotermitidae is a family of termites in the cockroach order Blattodea. The family includes the extant genera Porotermes and Stolotermes; its family-group name is based on Stolotermes. Older classifications sometimes placed stolotermitines in a broader Termopsidae, but a modern family-level treatment separates Stolotermitidae. Family-level sources list about 14 described species, although species totals can change as classifications are revised.
Syntermitinae
Syntermitinae is a subfamily of higher termites found in the Neotropical region. Its members are often called mandibulate nasutes because soldiers combine strong, functional mandibles with a frontal projection associated with chemical defense. The subfamily ranges from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, and its greatest described diversity is in the Brazilian Cerrado. It contains termites with varied feeding habits and nest forms, so a single species should not be treated as representative of the whole group.
Tenuirostritermes
Tenuirostritermes is a genus of higher termites in the family Termitidae, subfamily Nasutitermitinae. The genus comprises approximately five described species distributed primarily in the Americas. Members of this genus are characterized by their elongated, slender mandibles and are classified within the nasute termite group, though they lack the pronounced nasal tube found in some related genera. The genus was established by Holmgren in 1912 based on distinctive morphological features of the soldier caste.
Termitidae
Termitidae is a large family of termites, often called the higher termites. It sits within Blattodea, the cockroach order, rather than forming a separate modern order unrelated to cockroaches. Its members live in eusocial colonies with specialized workers, soldiers, and reproductive forms. The family includes lineages with markedly different diets and nesting habits, so a family-level account cannot identify the biology of every member.
Termitinae
Termitinae is a subfamily of higher termites in the family Termitidae. The accepted name is attributed to Latreille, 1802, and the type genus is Termes. A published summary describes the group as diverse, with 23 genera and 104 species. Its members occur across several tropical and subtropical biogeographic realms and use more than one kind of substrate.
Termitohospitini
Termitohospitini is a tribe of rove beetles in the subfamily Aleocharinae. It was described by Seevers in 1941, and published taxonomic summaries list 39 accepted species in two subtribes and 14 genera. The tribe is notable for an exclusively termitophilous way of life: its members are associated with termite societies. Comparative research links this lifestyle with unusual body forms and with a history that includes riparian and freshwater habitats.
Termitowithius
Termitowithius is a genus of withiid pseudoscorpions, tiny arachnids with grasping pincers but no scorpion-like tail or stinger. It is documented in association with termites, an unusual social-insect setting for this group. Its compact body and pincer-bearing pedipalps identify it broadly as a pseudoscorpion, while genus-level identification requires specialist morphology. The termite association is the genus's most distinctive documented natural-history feature.