13 replies to this topic

[ItalianTermiteMan2.0]

Greetings forum! Today i think i'll try something different, though still termite related of course: a quiz! 

 

I found the termite soldier in this pic in Thailand, foraging inside a dead tree trunk. When irritated, it produced large quantities of white, sticky fluid. 

Now who feel like taking a shot at IDying its genus? Write your hypotesis below, and don't be shy... because with termites, we're all still learning  !

 

 

I'll write the correct answer and a few more words about it once we've (hopefully) got a few tries    

 

 

 

 

[Ant-nig321]

I'm guessing :Coptotermes sp.This termite have been observed to grip attackers tightly with their mandibles,not letting go and squirt liquid substance at their opponent in battle or to defend the colony,this liquid deter or stick to their opponent's body and unfortunatly the termites.But after releasing it's mandibles,it becomes very weak and likely die but may survive if attended by workers. CORRECT ME IF AM WRONG!

Edited by Ant-nig321, January 10 2023 - 10:11 PM.

[Flu1d]

Greetings forum! Today i think i'll try something different, though still termite related of course: a quiz!

I found the termite soldier in this pic in Thailand, foraging inside a dead tree trunk. When irritated, it produced large quantities of white, sticky fluid.
Now who feel like taking a shot at IDying its genus? Write your hypotesis below, and don't be shy... because with termites, we're all still learning !

81467785_2458644274464118_3494888470134915072_n.jpg

I'll write the correct answer and a few more words about it once we've (hopefully) got a few tries

I had always wondered what the termites from "Antz" were based off of and I was never able to find anything online and now I am wondering if it was these.

[SYUTEO]

I've seen these termites before, I think it might be Coptotermes gestroi.

Edited by SYUTEO, January 10 2023 - 8:06 PM.

[ItalianTermiteMan2.0]

 

Greetings forum! Today i think i'll try something different, though still termite related of course: a quiz!

I found the termite soldier in this pic in Thailand, foraging inside a dead tree trunk. When irritated, it produced large quantities of white, sticky fluid.
Now who feel like taking a shot at IDying its genus? Write your hypotesis below, and don't be shy... because with termites, we're all still learning !

81467785_2458644274464118_3494888470134915072_n.jpg

I'll write the correct answer and a few more words about it once we've (hopefully) got a few tries

I had always wondered what the termites from "Antz" were based off of and I was never able to find anything online and now I am wondering if it was thes

 

 

Haha, that movie might be what kickstarted my passion for termites! I don't think the ones in the movie were actually based off a specific termite, but seeing them at the quite bulky type with large curved mandibles and a well visible but not excessively massive nasus, i'd say the soldiers of Embiratermes can come pretty close (pic by Dr. Jan Sobotnik):

 

 

 

P.s. i didn't forget about the quiz, in a pair of days i'll add the answer 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Flu1d]

Greetings forum! Today i think i'll try something different, though still termite related of course: a quiz!

I found the termite soldier in this pic in Thailand, foraging inside a dead tree trunk. When irritated, it produced large quantities of white, sticky fluid.
Now who feel like taking a shot at IDying its genus? Write your hypotesis below, and don't be shy... because with termites, we're all still learning !

81467785_2458644274464118_3494888470134915072_n.jpg

I'll write the correct answer and a few more words about it once we've (hopefully) got a few tries

I had always wondered what the termites from "Antz" were based off of and I was never able to find anything online and now I am wondering if it was thes

Haha, that movie might be what kickstarted my passion for termites! I don't think the ones in the movie were actually based off a specific termite, but seeing them at the quite bulky type with large curved mandibles and a well visible but not excessively massive nasus, i'd say the soldiers of Embiratermes can come pretty close (pic by Dr. Jan Sobotnik):

58571.jpg


P.s. i didn't forget about the quiz, in a pair of days i'll add the answer

Thank you for the detailed reply! I loved that movie as a kid and it is cool seeing that there's a termite species SOMEWHAT similar to the one in the movie.

[ItalianTermiteMan2.0]

Well, i think it's time to answer the question!

 

I must admit that this was a bit of a trap quiz, for the specimen in the picture is not Coptotermes, but Odontotermes!

Some Odontotermes are not only quite similar in size and shape to Coptotermes (we're talking of the soldier caste here), but also produce and exude large quantities of a milky white defensive fluid just like them! As a fun fact, in Odontotermes this fluid is not produced in the frontal gland and exuded from the a pore on the head (as it happens in Coptotermes) but made in the labial glands and secreted from the mouth.

 

Thanks to all those that took the challenge!

 

 

 

And for an actually good pic where you can see how Odontotermes spits out its secretion, here's one by Dr. Jan Sobotnik:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Flu1d]

Super awesome info and ty for that really really good picture!

[Ant-nig321]

Well,i tried by best.thanks.Um..just a question,after catching a pair of alate odontotermes,how do they start their fungus comb?

[ItalianTermiteMan2.0]

Well,i tried by best.thanks.Um..just a question,after catching a pair of alate odontotermes,how do they start their fungus comb?

 

As far as we know now in Odontotermes the fungus transmission is horizontal, meaning that the alates don't bring the fungus with them and first foraging workers have to collect Termitomyces spores from their environement to fertilize their first comb. We don't know enough to fully exclude potential exceptions to this rule in the genus though.

[SYUTEO]

I didn't even know Odontotermes soldiers can do that.

 

Anyway, I was wondering how do you tell apart Odontotermes termites from Macrotermes.

[ItalianTermiteMan2.0]

I didn't even know Odontotermes soldiers can do that.

 

Anyway, I was wondering how do you tell apart Odontotermes termites from Macrotermes.

 

From the workers i am not sure, from the soldiers you sould check for any teeth on the mandibles: as their name suggest, Odontotermes species have at least a tooth on their left mandible, and some have one on the right aswell. Be careful however, as in some species this tooth is positioned near the base of mandible and is thus covered by the labrum and basically invisible from above. If you have doubts, your best bet is to remove the mandibles entirely to check them easily. Meanwhile, Macrotermes mandibles lacks definite teeth and have a very fine serration near the base at most. 

 

 

For a pair of examples of Odontotermes, here's a pic (by Dr. Rudolf Scheffrahn) of an Odontotermes javanicus, with teeth only on its left mandible as it's most common in the genus:

 

 

 

...and another (still by Dr. Rudolf Scheffrahn) of an Odontotermes bequaerti, a large species from Africa with a teeth on both mandibles:

 

Edited by ItalianTermiteMan2.0, January 14 2023 - 5:57 PM.

[Ant-nig321]

Well,i tried by best.thanks.Um..just a question,after catching a pair of alate odontotermes,how do they start their fungus comb?

As far as we know now in Odontotermes the fungus transmission is horizontal, meaning that the alates don't bring the fungus with them and first foraging workers have to collect Termitomyces spores from their environement to fertilize their first comb. We don't know enough to fully exclude potential exceptions to this rule in the genus though.

Ok, thanks.

Sent from my TECNO BD4h using Tapatalk

[SYUTEO]

 

I didn't even know Odontotermes soldiers can do that.

 

Anyway, I was wondering how do you tell apart Odontotermes termites from Macrotermes.

 

From the workers i am not sure, from the soldiers you sould check for any teeth on the mandibles: as their name suggest, Odontotermes species have at least a tooth on their left mandible, and some have one on the right aswell. Be careful however, as in some species this tooth is positioned near the base of mandible and is thus covered by the labrum and basically invisible from above. If you have doubts, your best bet is to remove the mandibles entirely to check them easily. Meanwhile, Macrotermes mandibles lacks definite teeth and have a very fine serration near the base at most. 

 

 

For a pair of examples of Odontotermes, here's a pic (by Dr. Rudolf Scheffrahn) of an Odontotermes javanicus, with teeth only on its left mandible as it's most common in the genus:

 

322548078_668336688322353_672666695475523721_n.jpg

 

 

...and another (still by Dr. Rudolf Scheffrahn) of an Odontotermes bequaerti, a large species from Africa with a teeth on both mandibles:

 

322410910_717633743317120_317944863758424226_n.jpg

 

Thanks!