Prorhinotermes simplex

Prorhinotermes simplex, or the Cuban subterranean termite, is a species of lower termite in the genus Prorhinotermes.[1][2] It is found in Colombia.[3] Like others in its genus, it is a single-site nesting termite that moves to a new food source when theirs is gone, and it lacks a true worker caste.[4]

Prorhinotermes simplex
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Blattodea
Infraorder:
Isoptera
Family:
Rhinotermitidae
Genus:
Prorhinotermes
Species:
P. simplex
Binomial name
Prorhinotermes simplex
(Hagen, 1858)

Caste

Like all other members of Prorhinotermes, P. simplex lacks a true worker caste (meaning permanently sterile workers) and has a linear ontogenetical pathway with a single nymphal instar.[5][6]

Soldiers typically arise from the late larval stage in mature colonies and can be identified from their marked wing rudiments.[5][6] Each of their two molts from larva to soldier adds an antennae segment, and they contain a lot of the chemicals (E)-1-nitropentadecene and (Z,E)-α-Farnesene.[7] They make up from 7-22% of each colony's population.[8] They typically guard inside the nest, but they will come out as defenders if the nest is moved.[4] Soldiers have been found to evacuate eggs when their nests are disturbed as well.[9]

Microbiome

A type of excavate, named Cthulhu macrofasciculumque after the creature Cthulhu has been found in these termites' guts to allow for their digestion of wood, as termites and all other species in Animalia lack the ability to harvest nutrients from wood using their own anatomy.[10][11]

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References
  1. diArk Team. "diArk | species_list". www.diark.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  2. "IRMNG - Prorhinotermes simplex (Hagen, 1858)". www.irmng.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  3. "Prorhinotermes simplex (Hagen 1858) - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  4. Rupf, Thomas; Pearcy, Morgan; Roisin, Yves (2001). "Foraging behaviour and nest moving in Prorhinotermes inopinatus (Rhinotermitidae), a termite without workers". Proceedings of the 2001 Berlin Meeting of the European Sections of IUSSI. p. 178.
  5. Miller, Elwood Morton (April 1942). "The Problem of Castes and Caste Differentiation in Prorhinotermes Simplex (Hagen) [faculty publication]". atom.library.miami.edu. Volume 15. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  6. Roisin, Yves (1988-03-01). "Morphology, development and evolutionary significance of the working stages in the caste system of Prorhinotermes (Insecta, Isoptera)". Zoomorphology. 107 (6): 339–347. doi:10.1007/BF00312217. ISSN 1432-234X.
  7. Hanus, R.; Šobotník, J.; Valterová, I.; Lukáš, J. (June 2006). "The ontogeny of soldiers in Prorhinotermes simplex (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)". Insectes Sociaux. 53 (3): 249–257. doi:10.1007/s00040-006-0865-x. ISSN 0020-1812.
  8. Banks; Snyder (1920). A Revision of the Nearctic Termites, with Notes on Biology and Geographic Distribution. Washington, DC.
  9. Hanus, R.; Šobotník, J.; Cizek, L. (November 2005). "Egg care by termite soldiers". Insectes Sociaux. 52 (4): 357–359. doi:10.1007/s00040-005-0825-x. ISSN 0020-1812.
  10. Netburn, Deborah (2019-06-19). "A teeny tiny Cthulhu monster, found in a termite's gut - LA Times". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  11. James, Erick R.; Okamoto, Noriko; Burki, Fabien; Scheffrahn, Rudolf H.; Keeling, Patrick J. (2013-03-18). Badger, Jonathan H. (ed.). "Cthulhu Macrofasciculumque n. g., n. sp. and Cthylla Microfasciculumque n. g., n. sp., a Newly Identified Lineage of Parabasalian Termite Symbionts". PLoS ONE. 8 (3): e58509. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058509. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3601090.


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