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Termites
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.