Termite photos courtesy of T. F. Carrijo, P. Eggleton, G. Josens, S. Hellemans, C. M. Kalleshwaraswamy, M. M. Rocha, R. H. Scheffrahn and J. Šobotník.
An international team of 46 researchers has unveiled a new, comprehensive termite classification system.
“Termites represent more than 3,000 species, with most of them playing a critical role as ecosystem engineers, while only a handful of subterranean termite species are actually a big pest problem,” Dr. Thomas Chouvenc, associate professor of urban entomology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and a collaborator on the team, said in a news release. “With this new classification, all three of the most important termite pest genera, or taxonomic groups covering more than one species, are now within their own families, differentiating them from all other ‘subterranean termite’ species that are not pests.”
The work was published in August in Nature Communications. The new system incorporates modern DNA testing and advanced analysis to the existing taxonomy. This new termite “tree of life” reveals a clearer picture of termite evolution. Every family and subfamily are now classified as monophyletic, meaning they share a common ancestor. This allows researchers to better understand evolutionary relationships and makes it easier to categorize new species, said
Dr. Chouvenc.
“The new family of subterranean termite pest species Heterotermitae, for example, is biologically more relevant than its previous classification, Rhinotermitidae, which includes many other termite species that are not pests,” said UF/IFAS Distinguished Professor of Entomology, Dr. Nan Yao Su, a PMP Hall of Famer (Class of 2018). “Most species in Heterotermitae are pests and share many aspects of their biology that make them susceptible to termite bait control protocols. This has great implication for future research.”
<p>The post Researchers unveil new, comprehensive termite classification system first appeared on Pest Management Professional.</p>
from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/10/04/researchers-unveil-new-comprehensive-termite-classification-system/
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