CASTE COMPOSITION OF TWO SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE SPECIES, Anacanthotermes ochraceus (Burmeister) (ISOPTERA: HODOTERMITIDAE) AND Psammotermes hybostoma (Desneux) (ISOPTERA : RHINOTERMITIDAE)

Document Type : Research articles.

Authors

1 Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

2 Plant Protection Research Institute, ARC,, MOA, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

The caste composition of the two subterranean termite species,
Anacanthotermes ochraceus (Burmeister) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae)
and Psammotermes hybostoma (Desneux) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
was studied throughout two successive years at El-Fayoum Governorate
in a clay soil for the former species and at Ismailia Governorate in a
sandy soil for the latter species. For A.ochraceus, the mean percentages
of cast composition were 1.80, 97.60, 0.20, 0.40 and 0.00% for larvae,
workers, soldiers, nymphs and alates, respectively. The corresponding
respective percentages for P.hybostoma were 1.28, 93.20, 4.81,0.54 and
0.17%. For both considered termite species, workers prevailed all the
year round and formed the vast majority of the caste composition.
Larvae occurred in very few numbers throughout spring, autumn and
winter but entirely disappeared during summer. Soldiers were of limited
occurrence all the year round in the case of P.hybostoma and only during
autumn and winter in that of A. ochraceus. For both species also,
nymphs occurred in relatively few numbers during winter only. No
alates of A. ochraceus were seen and very few alates of P.hybostoma
occurred in autumn and winter.

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