Occurrence, body mass and biomass of Syntermes spp. (Isoptera: Termitidae) in Reserva Ducke, Central Amazonia

The leaf-feeding species Syntermes molestus and S. spinosus are two dominant termite species in Reserva Ducke in Central Amazonia; two other species (S. aculeosus, S. longiceps) exist in the area. All species except S. aculeosus were also found in urban areas. The workers of S. molestus and S. spinosus have average body dry weights of 4.5±0.2 and 13.1±1.4 mg, and the weight of their soldiers is 8.2±0.2 and 51.0±1.7 mg, respectively. Therefore, S. spinosus is among the largest termites of the world. In both species, fresh weight is about 4.7 higher than dry weight (a wider relation than in other termite species). The biomass of the populations of both species amounted to about 1 g m-2 (dry weight; indirect estimate), which rises previous assessments of the total termite biomass by about 36-45%, to a value of 3.0-3.5 g m-2.

Fentiom e clorpirifós no combate ao cupim de monte Cornitevmes cumulans (Kollar, 1832) (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Visando avaliar o desempenho de produtos químicos no combate ao cupim de monte Cornitermes cumulans, foi instalado um campo experimental em Piracicaba, Estado de São Paulo. Escolheram-se 60 ninhos, numa pastagem, que foram medidos e divididos em 6 grupos. Foram estabelecidos 6 tratamentos, cada um com 10 termiteiros. A) clorpirifós, l,2g; B) clorpirifós, 2,4g; C) clorpirifós, 3,6g; D) clorpirifós, 4,8g; E) fentiom, l,0g; fehtiom, l,25g. Tais quantidades são de ingrediente ativo aplicado dentro de cada cupinzeiro. As formulações dos inseticidas eram concentrados emulsionáveis: foram misturadas na água e aplicadas. Os resultados mostraram a ótima atuação dos dois produtos nas diferentes dosagens (100% de mortalidade em todos os tratamentos). É a primeira vez que os autores tiveram resultados positivos, completos, em todos os tratamentos.

A new species of Ibitermes (Isoptera, Termitidae) from the Atlantic forest, northeastern Brazil

The sterile castes of Ibitermes inflatus sp. nov. from Rio Tinto, State of Paraíba, Brazil are described and illustrated. This is the first record of a species of Ibitermes from the Brazilian northeast and from the Atlantic Forest biome. The absence of ridges in the molar plate of the left mandible and the presence of granules of sand and silt mixed with organic matter in advanced stage of decomposition in the digestive tube of workers suggest that the species is a typical humus feeding termite.

Multiple reproductives in nests of the Neotropical termite Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Silvester, 1901) builds arboreal nests in Brazilian Cerrado stricto sensu, which are frequently cohabited by inquilines termites and by termitophiles. In a study made at the Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas, Goiás, Brazil, there were four nests with multiple reproductives, and secondary reproductives were found in 26 nests. Nymphs of Inquilinitermes were more abundant (9,47%) than nymphs of C. cyphergaster (0,78%).

Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp: (Isoptera, Termitidae) in a cacao plantation in southeastern Bahia, Brazil

Ants are among the most common arthropods that colonize termite nests. The aim of this study was to identify the ant fauna associated to termite nests found in a cacao plantation in the county of Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil, with emphasis on the fauna that uses the nests as foraging and/or nesting environment. For this purpose, 34 active, decadent and abandoned nests of Nasutitermes corniger, N. ephratae and Nasutitermes sp., with different volumes and degrees of activity, were dissected. A total of 54 ant species, belonging to 23 genera and five subfamilies, was found in the constructions. The active, decadent and abandoned termite nests presented, respectively, six, eight and 48 ant species. Crematogaster acuta and Ectatomma tuberculatum were the most frequent species in the active and decadent nests, respectively, while the most frequent species in the abandoned nests were Solenopsis pollux, Thaumatomyrmex contumax and Thaumatomyrmex sp. Twenty-six ant species had true colonies within the termitaria. The Formicidae species richness in the nests was inversely related to the degree of termite activity in the nests. The occurrence of living, decadent or abandoned termitaria of Nasutitermes spp. in cacao plantations foments the heterogeneity of habitats available in the plantations and favors the maintenance of high diversity of organisms that use obligatory or opportunistically this substrate.

Caste polymorphism of apterous line of the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Termite societies are structured by individuals that can be grouped into castes and instars. The development of these instars in most species occurs in irregular patterns and sometimes is distinguished subcastes in physical systems that originate polymorphic soldiers and workers. In this study, we characterized the morphological diversity of castes of apterous in Nasutitermes corniger. We collected four colonies of N. corniger, one every three months between May 2011 and February 2012. Individuals of the nest were separated into groups: larval stages, workers and presoldiers and soldiers. A morphometric analysis was performed on individuals from each group based on head width, metatibia, antenna, and thorax length. The data were submitted to discriminant analysis to confirm different morphological types inside these groups. The apterous line of N. corniger is composed of one first larval instar and two second larval instar. The workers caste has two lines of development with four instars in a larger line and three instars in a lower line. Two morphological types were identified in presoldiers and soldiers. The pattern of castes was similar to other species of the genus, in which bifurcation into two lines of workers, one smaller and one larger occurs after the first molt.

Nest plasticity of Cornitermes silvestrii (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) in response to flood pulse in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Nest plasticity of Cornitermes silvestrii (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) in response to flood pulse in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Pantanal is one of the largest wetlands in the world. Since many areas in Pantanal are flooded during part of the year, it is expected that plants and animals would have mechanisms for their survival during the flooded period. This study investigated the existence of differences in nest shape and inquilines of Cornitermes silvestrii in areas influenced by the flood pulse. We measured the volume, height, width, and height/width ratio of 32 nests in flooded areas and 27 in dry areas, and performed an one-way-Anova with the quasi-Poisson distribution to determine if there were differences in the nest measurements between the points. To analyze the relationship of nest inquilines to flood pulse and nest shape, we performed a regression with a Poisson distribution with the inquiline richness and flood pulse, and the above measurements. The nests of C. silvestrii in flooded areas were significantly higher than nests in dry areas, and had a larger height/width ratio. Colonies in periodically flooded areas would probably make a larger effort to extend their nests vertically, to maintain at least some portion of the structure out of the water and prevent the entire colony from being submerged. Neither the size of the nest nor the flood pulses influenced the assemblage of 11 species found in nests of C. silvestrii.

Terpenos em cupins do gênero Nasutitermes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

The chemical composition of the front gland of termites has been studied for over 40 years. The genus Nasutitermes, considered the most evolved of the Termitidae family, has a peculiarity that sets it apart from the others: a caste of soldiers that carry a terpenic mixture used in defense. This secretion is formed by mono, sesqui and diterpenes from trinervitane, kempane and rippertane skeletons, only found in termites. This article sought to review the scientific literature and contribute to the knowledge on the chemical composition of the secretion of the Nasutitermes soldiers from the interesting aspects of its behavior.

Estrutura da população de Microcerotermes exiguus ( Isoptera: Termitidae) e sua partuicipação no consumo de madeira em uma área de caatinga, Nordeste, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Patogenicidade de Steinernema carpocapsae (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) ao Cupim de Montículo Cornitermes cumulans (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Cornitermes cumulans is a termite species often found in pastures of Brazil, mainly in the most degraded ones. Chemical control has been the most recommended method against this insect pest, but control measures are usually avoided by farmers. Biocontrol of termites with entomopathogenic fungi and possibly with entomopathogenic nematodes have been considered promising techniques, being recommended for use in several countries. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of Steinernema carpocapsae (an unidentified isolate) against C cumulans castes (workers and soldiers). Three experiments were done, one using Petri dishes, with daily evaluations, and two others in artificial colonies (with workers and soldiers). For one of the experiments in artificial colonies, nematode suspensions (167 and 333 infective juveniles (IJ) per insect) were applied over the food supplied to the termites. For the other experiment, nematode suspensions (133, 267 and 533 IJ per insect) were applied directly over the artificial termite colonies. In these two experiments evaluations were done 1, 5 and 9 days after nematode application. Each dead insect was dissected for nematode verification. S. carpocapsae was highly pathogenic to both castes of C cumulans in all experiments.

Controle do cupim de montículo (Isoptera: Termitidae) de pastagem com fungos entomopatogênicos

The objective of this study was to evaluate the control of mound-building termites (Isoptera: Termitidae) by entomopathogenic fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana). We developed two experiments, with two copies of application in three sizes of nests. The first was installed in the Salto Macauba farm and second in the Laboratory of Plant Protection at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul. The first experiment consisted of five repetitions, each nest an experimental unit, with treatments in a factorial 2 (fungi) x 2 (tests) x 2 (type of spraying) + 1 control, distributed completely at random in the area. The treatments were: 1) control - no implementation, 2) Metarril M103 (M. anisopliae) - 10 g/mound-dusting, 3) Metarril M103 - 10 g/mound - via net, 4) Metarril M103 - 15 g/mound-dusting, 5) Metarril M103 - 15 g/mound - via net, 6) Boveril B102 (B. bassiana) - 10 g/mound - dusting, 7) Boveril B102 - 10 g/mound - via net, 8) Boveril B102 - 15 g/mound-dusting and 9) Boveril B102 - 15 g/mound-via net. The testing of mortality were made spraying of the laboratory with the field measurements performed in compliance with the same separation of the nests. The results suggested that the road dust (dosage of 10 g) of the fungi studied showed higher mortality of nests of small size (53%). B. bassiana (Boveril) (10 g) gave 80% mortality of C. cumulans when applied to nests of small size.

Biometrics studies of caste development in Nasutitermes coxipoensis (Isoptera; Termitidae)

A biometric study of caste development was carried out using Nasutitermes sp., by measuring the height, width, and length of the head, the length and width of the pronotum and mesonotum, and the length of the posterior tibia. These measurements were taken on 200 individuals, including larvae, nymphs, workers, pre-soldiers and soldiers. For instar separation, it was verified that the Principal Component Analysis (P.C.A.) was the most efficient methodology. Results of this analysis showed that Nasutitermes coxipoensis follows the general pattern of development presented by other Nasutitermes.

Soldier head morphology of the Neotropical termites: Embiratermes festivellus Silvestri and Spinitermes brevicornutus (Desneux) (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Tergal glands in termite soldiers of the subfamily Syntermitinae (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

MRT Letter: A Novel Tegumental Gland in Female Imagoes of the Neotropical Termite Cornitermes cumulans (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae)

In general, the exocrine glands of social insects are structures involved in the chemical communication associated with social life. Here, we report the discovery of an unknown tegumental gland that is present in the female imagoes of Cornitermes cumulans and occurs next to the well-developed tergal glands that have previously been described. The tegumental glands release their secretion in the intersegmental membrane and are composed of bicellular units, a secretory cell and a canal cell, that are closely located to the epidermal cells in the inferior part of the eighth and ninth tergites. The ultrastructure of the glandular cells showed abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting that the secretion may be pheromonal, although its function is still unknown. These exocrine structures are facing the tergal glands, and we hypothesized that they act synergistically with the tergal glands to generate short-range attraction during tandem behavior. Microsc. Res. Tech. 73: 1005-1008, 2010. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.