Biology:Reticulitermes hesperus

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of termite

Reticulitermes hesperus
Reticulitermes hesperus.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Infraorder: Isoptera
Family: Rhinotermitidae
Genus: Reticulitermes
Species:
R. hesperus
Binomial name
Reticulitermes hesperus
Banks in Banks & Snyder, 1920

Reticulitermes hesperus, the western subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is found in Central America and North America.[1][2][3]

Ecology

Adults and nymphs are preyed on by the larvae of the lacewing Lomamyia latipennis. The lacewing lays its eggs on stumps and rotten logs and the newly hatched larvae make their way to termite galleries via crevices. Having found a termite, the first instar larva waves its abdomen and releases an allomone which paralyses the termite in two to three minutes; it then consumes the termite. Second and third instar lacewing larvae can subdue several termites at the same time.[4][5]

References

Further reading

  • Krishna, Kumar; Grimaldi, David A.; Krishna, Valerie; Engel, Michael S. (2013). "Treatise on the Isoptera of the world". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (377). 

Wikidata ☰ Q13582614 entry