An impressive soldier termite - Macrotermes carbonarius

[ItalianTermiteMan]

Here we have a major soldier of Macrotermes carbonarius, likely south-east Asia's most iconic termite, guarding her workers during open-foraging with antennae waving and mandibles at the ready. Beside a powerful cutting bite, these agile and aggressive soldier are also equipped with a defensive fluid with irritant and insecticidal properties produced in the labial glands and abundantly pumped from the mouth onto a grasped foe.

These large (major soldiers up to 18 mm) and beautifully colored termites are fungus-growers, meaning that the leaf litter and plant material they collect during their foraging excursion are not for their direct consumption but rather to mantain and expand the fungus gardens deep whitin their nests on which symbiotic Termytomices fungi are cultivated. They build very sturdy earthen mounds (with outer walls up to more than 20 cm thick) that, though a far cry from the massive ones build by several of their African congeners, can still reach up to 2 meters in height; in any case these epigeal mounds are used mainly for ventilation and thermoregulation rather than abitation and most of the termite population still reside below ground.

Pic by 공인인증서 (https://www.inaturalist.org/people/nonext) - Attribution-NonCommercial CC licence; Malacca, Malaysia.

 

[Michael Livote]

Not gonna lie, that sucker looks impressive! I'd hate to be on the business end of it though ‍

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Here we have a major soldier of Macrotermes carbonarius, likely south-east Asia's most iconic termite, guarding her workers during open-foraging with antennae waving and mandibles at the ready. Beside a powerful cutting bite, these agile and aggressive soldier are also equipped with a defensive fluid with irritant and insecticidal properties produced in the labial glands and abundantly pumped from the mouth onto a grasped foe.

These large (major soldiers up to 18 mm) and beautifully colored termites are fungus-growers, meaning that the leaf litter and plant material they collect during their foraging excursion are not for their direct consumption but rather to mantain and expand the fungus gardens deep whitin their nests on which symbiotic Termytomices fungi are cultivated. They build very sturdy earthen mounds (with outer walls up to more than 20 cm thick) that, though a far cry from the massive ones build by several of their African congeners, can still reach up to 2 meters in height; in any case these epigeal mounds are used mainly for ventilation and thermoregulation rather than abitation and most of the termite population still reside below ground.

Pic by 공인인증서 (https://www.inaturalist.org/people/nonext) - Attribution-NonCommercial CC licence; Malacca, Malaysia.


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Wow that’s a heck of a soldier ! 🫡

 

[viper69]

Wow

 

[The Snark]

Not gonna lie, that sucker looks impressive! I'd hate to be on the business end of it though

Believe it. Around here if you accidentally bust open a termite tunnel just stay away from it. The battle wagons will be along shortly.
Of interest, they station themselves around the break in the tunnel and the workers can very quickly close to hole up. Termites seem to be extreme photophobic.