TERMITE:
Termites are
eusocial insects that are classified at the
taxonomic rank of
infraorderIsoptera, or as
epifamily Termitoidae within the
cockroach order
Blattodea. Termites were once classified in a separate
order from cockroaches, but recent
phylogeneticstudies indicate that they evolved from close ancestors of cockroaches during the
Jurassic or
Triassic. However, the first termites possibly emerged during the
Permianor even the
Carboniferous. About 3,106
species are currently described, with a few hundred more left to be described. Although these insects are often called "white ants", they are not
ants.
Like ants and some
bees and
wasps from the separate order
Hymenoptera,
termites divide labour among castes consisting of sterile male and female "workers" and "soldiers". All colonies have fertile males called "kings" and one or more fertile females called "
queens". Termites mostly feed on
dead plant material and
cellulose, generally in the form of wood,
leaf litter, soil, or animal dung. Termites are major
detritivores, particularly in the
subtropical and
tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.
Termites are among the most successful groups of insects on Earth, colonising most landmasses except
Antarctica. Their colonies range in size from a few hundred individuals to enormous societies with several million individuals.
Termite queens have the longest lifespan of any insect in the world, with some queens reportedly living up to 30 to 50 years. Unlike ants, which undergo a complete metamorphosis, each individual termite goes through an
incomplete metamorphosis that proceeds through egg,
nymph, and adult stages. Colonies are described as
superorganisms because the termites form part of a self-regulating entity: the colony itself.
[1]Termites are a delicacy in the diet of some human cultures and are used in many traditional medicines. Several hundred species are economically significant as pests that can cause serious damage to buildings, crops, or plantation forests. Some species, such as the
West Indian drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis), are regarded as
invasive species.
