General Description
Head pear-shaped and yellow with darker, smooth thin jaws (mandibles). Body up to 7 mm long.
Biology
Subterranean Termites are destructive and a major pest of buildings and trees. They are difficult to detect because they travel through wood, under the ground and in covered tunnels above ground. The soldier caste produce a milky defensive fluid from an opening (fontanelle) at the front of head.
Distribution
Mainland Australia.
Habitat
Nests in stumps, poles and trees.
More Information
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Animal Type
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Animal SubType
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Brief Id
Soldier caste: pear-shaped yellow head, thin jaws.
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Colours
Yellow, Brown
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Habitats
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Diet
Herbivore
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Endemicity
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Conservation Statuses
CITES: Not listed, FFG Threatened List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
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Taxon Name
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Scientific Author
(Froggatt, 1898)
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Common Name
Subterranean Termite
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Class
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Species Name
acinaciformis