ItalianTermiteMan
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2023
- Messages
- 146
Here's another nice pic by David Mora del Pozo showing us a group of pseudergates and soldiers of an unidentified species of Neotermes, a genus of robust wood-dwelling termites with a very wide distribution around the world and three species (Neotermes castaneus, N. jouteli and N. luykxi) that can be found in the continental US, though only in Florida.
The pseudergate is a peculiar termite caste found in the families Kalotermitidae, Stolotermitidae, Serritermitidae, Stylotermitidae, Hodotermopsidae, Archotermopsidae and in a few genera of Rhinotermitidae that undertake all the work you'd expect from a true worker caste (which is absent in said termites) while retaining full developmental plasticity at all times and being able to molt into any other caste should the need arise (tough most remain pseudergates for all their life). As a member of Kalotermitidiae, Neotermes sport such totipotent pseudergates instead of true workers; the soldiers are instead a terminal caste that will never molt again and are equipped with large, armored heads filled with muscles and very robust toothed mandibles that they will use to defend their wood-excavated nests from predators and competitors.
Pic by David Mora del Pozo (shared with permission); Jamaica.
The pseudergate is a peculiar termite caste found in the families Kalotermitidae, Stolotermitidae, Serritermitidae, Stylotermitidae, Hodotermopsidae, Archotermopsidae and in a few genera of Rhinotermitidae that undertake all the work you'd expect from a true worker caste (which is absent in said termites) while retaining full developmental plasticity at all times and being able to molt into any other caste should the need arise (tough most remain pseudergates for all their life). As a member of Kalotermitidiae, Neotermes sport such totipotent pseudergates instead of true workers; the soldiers are instead a terminal caste that will never molt again and are equipped with large, armored heads filled with muscles and very robust toothed mandibles that they will use to defend their wood-excavated nests from predators and competitors.
Pic by David Mora del Pozo (shared with permission); Jamaica.
