Coptotermes frenchi
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| Coptotermes frenchi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Infraorder: | Isoptera |
| Genus: | Coptotermes |
| Species: | C. frenchi |
| Binomial name | |
| Coptotermes frenchi Hill | |
Coptotermes frenchi, the Australian subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Heterotermitidae. Termites are social insects and C. frenchi usually builds its communal nest in the root crown of a tree. From this, a network of galleries extends through the nearby soil, enabling the workers to forage in the surrounding area without emerging on the surface of the ground.
Termites are social insects with a caste system and individuals are either reproductives, workers, or soldiers. The reproductives have eyes, a brown chitinised exterior, and may have wings. Two of these reproductives are the queen and king, and these remain in the nest and produce and fertilise eggs. The workers and soldiers are blind, have soft unpigmented bodies and no wings, and normally remain under cover in dark, moist environments. The workers build the nest, create underground passages and mud-roofed runways, and go out to forage. They care for the young and feed the reproductives and the soldiers. The soldiers guard the colony, attacking intruders with their powerful jaws.[1] The nest of C. frenchi is normally in the root crown of a living tree and is composed of mud and masticated wood pulp. It has a fragile outer layer and a softer interior mass of passages and chambers.[2]
The termites
Several species of termites are found in Australia and they are difficult to distinguish from one another. C. frenchi is most likely to be confused with C. acinaciformis or C. lacteus. Viewed from above, the soldiers of C. frenchi and C. lacteus have pear-shaped heads while the heads of C. acinaciformis soldiers are more rectangular. C. frenchi soldiers at 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) long are intermediate in size between the other two species.[3] These soldiers have large, sabre-shaped mandibles and a glandular pore on the forehead which secretes a milky, latex fluid.