ItalianTermiteMan
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2023
- Messages
- 146
Workers, soldiers and neotenic royals of Embiratermes neotenicus, a soil-feeding termite very common in several countries of northern South America.
This species sports large-sized colonies (up to half a million strong) often lead by a single primary king and many dozens of neotenic queens capable of reaching a very remarkable level of physogastry (enlargement of the abdomen due to the growth of new ovaries) for non-primary royals; these queen are also peculiar for being produced parthenogenetically while workers, soldiers and primaries are produced sexually. Soldiers of this species (and those of several genera of the Syntermitinae subfamily) are equipped with large hooked mandibles employed to pierce or at least firmly hold onto an enemy in order to then irrorate him with a chemical fluid produced in the frontal gland and secreted from the tip of their nasus, that large horn-like prohection on their heads. As it's the norm rather than the exception in termites, Embiratermes do no harm to human activities and is no pest.
Pics by Dr. Jan Sobotnik (Termite Research Team); French Guyana.
Workers, soldiers and neotenic queens (physogastric and not) of E. neotenicus. Also note the large apical tooth of the worker's
mandibles, typical of soil-feeding species.
An irritated soldier of E. neotenicus, showing well the hooked and toothed mandibles.
E. neotenicus soldier in lateral wiew.
This species sports large-sized colonies (up to half a million strong) often lead by a single primary king and many dozens of neotenic queens capable of reaching a very remarkable level of physogastry (enlargement of the abdomen due to the growth of new ovaries) for non-primary royals; these queen are also peculiar for being produced parthenogenetically while workers, soldiers and primaries are produced sexually. Soldiers of this species (and those of several genera of the Syntermitinae subfamily) are equipped with large hooked mandibles employed to pierce or at least firmly hold onto an enemy in order to then irrorate him with a chemical fluid produced in the frontal gland and secreted from the tip of their nasus, that large horn-like prohection on their heads. As it's the norm rather than the exception in termites, Embiratermes do no harm to human activities and is no pest.
Pics by Dr. Jan Sobotnik (Termite Research Team); French Guyana.
Workers, soldiers and neotenic queens (physogastric and not) of E. neotenicus. Also note the large apical tooth of the worker's
mandibles, typical of soil-feeding species.
An irritated soldier of E. neotenicus, showing well the hooked and toothed mandibles.
E. neotenicus soldier in lateral wiew.