Termites

Termites, sometimes known as white ants, are a group of eusocial insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order, Isoptera. Termites feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter or soil, and about 10% of the 4,000 odd species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically important as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Termites are significant detrivores of the subtropical and tropical regions, where their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.

 

Termites only superficially resemble ants; their "white ant" name arises from their similar size and social habits. Compared with ants, they are softer, whiter, shorter-legged, fatter and generally much slower moving. Most importantly, they are not at all closely related to ants, being instead in a group of insects, the Dictyoptera, that also include the mantises and the cockroaches.

Termites have biting mouthparts and their soft bodies are small, rarely over 10 mm in length. They typically inhabit dark nests and tunnels, only venturing out when the winged alates emerge to leave their parent colony, when constructing shelter or, in the case of grass- and leaf-litter-feeders, when harvesting their food. The bodies of flying individuals are darker, while termites which remain in the nest are generally whitish with only their heads being lightly pigmented. The deciduous wings of termites are long and slender, in two pairs that are similarly sized and shaped. The name of the termites' order is derived from their having equal wings, iso-=equal and pteron=wing. The wings are quickly shed after flight with a simple body flick when the swarming termites find a new nest site, pair up and dig in. The remnant of a wing is a distinct triangular scale.

 

For more information go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termites