Biology:Amitermes atlanticus
| Amitermes atlanticus | |
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| Amitermes atlanticus (black mound termites) from the Western Cape region of South Africa repairing a section of their distinctive black mounds. Most of the termites are soldiers. | |
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| Infraorder: | Isoptera
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| Species: | A. atlanticus
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| Binomial name | |
| Amitermes atlanticus Skaife
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Amitermes atlanticus (also known as Black Mound Termites) is a species of termite found in the Western Cape region of South Africa and are endemic to the region's fynbos ecosystem. They build distinctive black termite mounds that range in height from a few centimeters to 50 centimeters. The species is commonly found on sandy soil eroded from white Table Mountain sandstone at altitudes from a just under 100 meters up to 900 meters above sea level.[1]
Colony
The mound is constructed from white sand and organic matter and are distinctively black in colour due to the cement excreted by the Atlanticus termites. The exterior consists of irregular chambers that are interconnected with other cells through small circular openings. The interior of the mounds have larger chambers with thinner walls. There is no royal cell in the mound instead breading termites move freely though the network of cells at the centre of the mound. The species is not a fungus grower and as such there are no fungus gardens in the mound. The mounds tend to be as high as they are wide and can reach up to 50 centimeters in height and width.[1]
Workers expand the size of the mound from the mound's interior by making small holes in the mound service from inside and pushing the building material up from the interior.[1]
Description
Workers range in size from 4mm to 4.5mm in length and have relatively large white heads. Workers can live relatively long lives exceeding nine months. They tend to harvest humus and dead damp organic plant matter for consumption whilst underground. Meaning that the species rarely needs to move on the surface for food.[1]
Soldiers are larger and range in size from 5mm to 5.5mm in length and have larger heads that are yellow or red in colour. A large part of the head is taken up by a frontal gland that excretes a colourless, sticky fluid that has a strong irritant effect on other insects. There tends to be one soldier for every twenty to thirty workers relaying on workers to feed them.[1]
White nymphs emerge from mature mounds older than two or three years old in late autumn (April or May) after the first autumn rains. Queens can reach a length of 15mm and freely move about the centre of the mound. Each mound has multiple kings and queens with up to thirty five queens in a mound.[1]
Ecology
A. Atlanticus has relatively few parasites. Most parasites are mites such as Termitacarus cuneiformis Tragardh and Cosrnogyphus kramerii. Another species of termite, Termes winifredue Snyder and Emerson, often cohabits in very close proximity to A. Atlanticus as an inquiline. Termes numbers tend to be small in number and pose little threat to A. Atlanticus with the two species rarely mixing even though their tunnels and chambers might run parallel to each other. Should one of the two species break into the other's colony they will fight with A. Atlanticus tending to beat back Termes. A species of collembola is also known to be a common inhabit of A. Atlanticus nests.[1]
Larger animals such as Aardvarks and lizards such as Rock Agamas are known to eat A. Atlanticus in addition to other termite species.
References
Wikidata ☰ Q55603837 entry
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