Atlas of Australian Termites

By JAL Watson and HM Abbey

This Atlas provides, for the first time, comprehensive maps showing the distribution of all named species of termite found in Australia. Based on records associated with the Australian National Insect Collection, it also provides a checklist of species and notes on the outstanding taxonomic problems in each genus. It answers the questions that administrators and pest controllers often ask: which troublesome termites are found in my area?

• Language: English
• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Release date: Jan 1, 1993
• ISBN: 9780643102361

Book preview

ATLAS OF

AUSTRALIAN

TERMITES

J. A. L. WATSON & HILDA M. ABBEY

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

Watson, J.A.L. (John Anthony Linthome).

Atlas of Australian Termites

Bibliography.

ISBN 0 643 051864

1. Termites — Australia. I. Abbey, H.M. (Hilda May). III. CSIRO. IV. Title.

Copyright CSIRO Division of Entomology 1993

Available from:

CSIRO Division of Entomology

GPO Box 1700, Canberra,

ACT 2601, Australia

Tel. [phone]

Fax [phone]

Contents

Introduction

Compilation of the maps

Notes on the Australian genera

MASTOTERMITIDAE

TERMOPSIDAE

KALOTERMITIDAE

RHINOTERMITIDAE

TERMITIDAE

List of species

The maps

MASTOTERMITIDAE

Mastotermes

TERMOPSIDAE

Porotermes

Stolotermes

KALOTERMITIDAE

Bifiditermes

Ceratokalotermes

Cryptotermes

Glyptotermes

Incisitermes

Kalotermes

Neotermes

Procryptotermes

RHINOTERMITIDAE

Coptotermes

Heterotermes

Parrhinotermes

Prorhinotermes

Schedorhinotermes

TERMITIDAE

Ahamitermes

Amitermes

Apsenterotermes

Australitermes

Cristatitermes

Drepanotermes

Ekphysotermes

Ephelotermes

Hapsidote rmes

Hesperotermes

Incolitermes

Invasitermes

Lophotermes

Macrognathotermes

Macrosubulitermes

Microcerotermes

Nasutitermes

Occasitermes

Occultitermes

Paracapritermes

Protocapritermes

Saxatilitermes

Tumulitermes

Xylochomitermes

Locations of Australian settlements

Localities in Australia where termite samples have been collected

Key to Abbreviated Place Names on Fig. 263

References

Introduction

During the last decade interest in the Australian termites has quickened. Most of this increased interest has been expressed by people concerned with environmental issues, of various kinds: the best means of coping with the problems that termites cause; the significance of termites in natural and disturbed ecosystems; their importance as ecological indicators; the dependence of predators on them. Three questions are raised time and again. Which species of termite occur in the region? Where else do they occur? What are their habits? Answers to all three questions depend on our taxonomic understanding of the Australian termite fauna.

Twenty to thirty years ago it was felt that the Australian termite fauna was well known. Since then collections in areas previously unexplored, the development of new methods for collecting termites, and the introduction of new techniques for detecting and confirming differences between populations of termites have shown us that our termite fauna is larger, and more poorly understood, than we had realised (cf. Gay 1968; Watson and Perry 1981; Gay and Watson 1982; Watson and Gay 1983; Brown et al. 1990; Watson et al. 1989; Miller 1991; Watson and Gay 1991). These revisionary works, including taxonomically decisive data on the biology, fine structure, chemistry of the cuticular hydrocarbons, and the architecture of the gut, have set a pattern that will continue (Watson and Gay 1983), making our answers to the three questions uncertain.

Despite this, we believe that it is useful to set out the geographic distributions of the named Australian termites. Because of the taxonomic uncertainties it can only be regarded as a tentative account, and its tentative nature is emphasised by the fact that recognised but undescribed species are excluded. To help indicate the dimensions of this problem, we include notes on the taxonomic problems associated with each genus. An extended database now being prepared, under the auspices of