Mastotermitidae
Mastotermitidae is a family of termites with one sole living species, Mastotermes darwiniensis which is found only in northern Australia. The remaining genera of this family are only known from the fossil record.
| Mastotermitidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mastotermes darwiniensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Infraorder: | Isoptera |
| Parvorder: | Euisoptera |
| Family: | Mastotermitidae |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
Fossil record
Numerous fossil taxa have been described in the Mastotermitidae, as well as in the genus Mastotermes. The family seems to have had a worldwide distribution until just a few million years ago, when all but the ancestors of the giant northern termite became extinct for unknown reasons.
Genera included in the Mastotermitidae are:[2]
- Blattotermes Riek (Eocene-Oligocene of France, USA, and Australia)
- Garmitermes Engel, Grimaldi, & Krishna (Eocene of Europe)
- Idanotermes Engel (Eocene of Europe)
- Khanitermes Engel, Grimaldi, & Krishna (Early Cretaceous of Mongolia)
- Mastotermes Froggatt (Cretaceous-Recent of Europe, Central America and Australia)
- Miotermes Rosen (Miocene of Croatia, Germany, and France)
- Spargotermes Emerson (Miocene-Pliocene of Brazil)
- Valditermes Jarzembowski (Early Cretaceous of England)
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References
- Wang, Yan-hui; Engel, Michael S.; Rafael, José A.; Wu, Hao-yang; Rédei, Dávid; Xie, Qiang; Wang, Gang; Liu, Xiao-guang; Bu, Wen-jun (2016). "Fossil record of stem groups employed in evaluating the chronogram of insects (Arthropoda: Hexapoda)". Scientific Reports. 6: 38939. doi:10.1038/srep38939. PMC 5154178. PMID 27958352.
- Krishna, K., D.A. Grimaldi, V. Krishna, & M.S. Engel (2013) Treatise on the Isoptera of the world. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 377: 1-2704.
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