Insectes Sociaux

, Volume 65, Issue 2, pp 323–330 | Cite as

Characteristics of dispersal flight and disperser production in an Asian dry-wood termite, Neotermes koshunensis (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae)

Research Article
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
  • 48 Downloads

Abstract

Differences in the dispersal flight patterns among termite families are correlated with the difference between the two life history characteristics exhibited by this group: “separate-piece nesters” versus “single-piece nesters.” However, information remains limited on the phenology and the life history characteristics of single-piece nesters, impeding our understanding of this topic. We report the flight phenology of an Asian single-piece nester termite Neotermes koshunensis on Okinawa Island, Japan. In 1983–1984, a light-trap survey showed that N. koshunensis exhibited an extended dispersal flight period from late April to early November, peaking in June, with a female-biased sex ratio. Between 1983 and 2012, the collection of 134 whole colonies of N. koshunensis from the surrounding area confirmed the presence of alates and pre-alate nymphs within the colonies over 7 months, reflecting the extended flight season of this termite species, probably in association with the extended dispersal flight season. However, in some cases, alates and pre-alate nymphs were also retained in the colonies after the dispersal flight season (i.e., winter, from December to February). The daily number of trapped alates in 1983 was positively correlated with temperature and relative humidity; however, alate production inside the colony was also positively correlated with temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation. Thus, these environmental factors might promote the flight activity of this termite by enhancing alate production inside the colony. Furthermore, temperature also had a significantly positive effect in the model incorporating the density of alates in the colony, along with environmental factors; thus, temperature might facilitate the release of alate from colonies. The accumulation of information on the phenology and life history characteristics of alate advances our understanding of the different dispersal strategies used by termites, providing insights into how the different families have evolved.

Keywords

Alates Flight Phenology Light trap Meteorology Sex ratio 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

The authors thank late Prof. Takuya Abe for providing suggestions and encouragement on fieldwork. We also thank Dr. Shigeto Dobata and Dr. Hirotaka Tanaka for providing advice on the data analysis, and the anonymous referees for their constructive advice.

Supplementary material

40_2018_616_MOESM1_ESM.png (1.9 mb)
Supplementary material 1 (PNG 1964 KB)
40_2018_616_MOESM2_ESM.xlsx (12 kb)
Supplementary material 2 (XLSX 11 KB)
40_2018_616_MOESM3_ESM.xlsx (12 kb)
Supplementary material 3 (XLSX 11 KB)

References

  1. Abe T (1987) Evolution of life types in termites. In: Kawano S, Connell JH, Hidaka T (eds) Evolution and coadaptation in biotic communities. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, pp 125–148Google Scholar
  2. Abe T (1989) Ecology of termites—introduction to tropical ecology. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo (in Japanese) Google Scholar
  3. Bourguignon T, Leponce M, Roisin Y (2009) Insights into the termite assemblage of a neotropical rainforest from the spatio-temporal distribution of flying alates. Insect Conserv Divers 2(3):153–162CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Cabrera BJ, Scheffrahn RH (2005) Western Drywood termite, Incisitermes minor (Hagen) (Insecta: Isoptera: Kalotermitidae). Entomol. and Nematol. Dept., Florida Coop. Ext. Serv., IFAS, Univ. Florida Publ. EENY-248Google Scholar
  5. Cheng WJ, Zheng XL, Wang P, Zhou LL, Si SY, Wang XP (2016) Male-biased capture in light traps in Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Results from the studies of reproductive activities. J Insect Behav 29:368–378CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Eggleton P, Tayasu I (2001) Feeding groups, lifetypes and the global ecology of termites. Ecol Res 16:941–960CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Howell HN Jr, Austin JW, Gold RE (2009) Swarming Dates and Distribution of Zootermopsis laticeps Banks (Isoptera: Termopsidae) Alates in El Paso County, Texas. J Agric Urban Entomol 26:11–21CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Huang ZY, Dai ZR, Zhong JH, Qian X, Liu BR, Xia CG, Huang HT, Xia F, Yang RH, Zhang RL (2004a) Swarm periods of primary reproductives Cryptotermes domesticus. Entomol Knowl 41:236–238Google Scholar
  9. Huang ZY, Dai ZR, Zhong JH, Qian X, Liu BR, Xia CG, Huang HT, Xia F, Yang RH, Zhang RL (2004b) Studies on influence of temperature, relative humidity and atmosphere to swarming of primary reproductives in Cryptotermes domesticus (Haviland) (Isopterra: Kalotermitidae). Nat Enemies Insects 26:126–131Google Scholar
  10. Huang ZY, Qian X, Zhong JH, Xia CG, Hu J (2007) Progress of biological studies on primary reproductives in Cryptotermes domesticus (Isopterra: Kalotermitidae). Sociobiology 50:599–605Google Scholar
  11. Ikehara S (1966) Distribution of termites in Ryukyu Archipelago. Bulletin of Arts and Science Division, University of the Ryukyus. Math Nat Sci 9:49–178Google Scholar
  12. Japan Meteorological Agency (2017) http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/index.html. Accessed 03 Feb 2017
  13. Jones SC (1981) Studies of dispersal, colony caste and sexual composition, and incipient colony development of Pterotermes occidentis (Walker) (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae). Sociobiology 6:221–242Google Scholar
  14. Jones SC, La Fage JP, Howard RW (1988) Isopteran sex ratios: phylogenetic trends. Sociobiology 14:89–156Google Scholar
  15. Katoh H, Matsumoto T, Miura T (2007) Alate differentiation and compound-eye development in the dry-wood termite Neotermes koshunensis (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae). Insect Sociaux 54:11–19CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Krishna K, Grimaldi DA, Krishna V, Engel MS (2013) Treatise on the Isoptera of the world: vol 2, Basal families. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 377:201–621Google Scholar
  17. Korb J, Lenz M (2004) Reproductive decision-making in the termite, Cryptotermes secundus (Kalotermitidae), under variable food conditions. Behav Ecol 15:390–395CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Luykx P (1986) Termite colony dynamics as revealed by the sex-and caste-ratios of whole colonies of Incisitermes schwarzi Banks (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae). Insectes Soc 33(3):221–248CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Maki K, Abe T (1986) Proportion of soldiers in the colonies of a dry wood termite, Neotermes koshunensis (Kalotermitidae). Physiol Ecol Japan 23:109–117Google Scholar
  20. Martius C (2003) Rainfall and air humidity: non-linear relationships with termite swarming in Amazonia. Amazoniana 17:387–397Google Scholar
  21. Martius C, Bandeira AG, da Silva Medeiros LG (1996) Variation in termite alate swarming in rain forests of central Amazonia. Ecotropica 2:1–11Google Scholar
  22. Matsuura K (2006) Early Emergence of males in the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): protandry as a side effect of sexual size dimorphism. Ann Entomol Soc Am 99:625–628CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Mensa-Bonsu A (1976) The biology and development of Porotermes adamsoni (Froggatt) (Isoptera, Hodotermitidae). Insectes Soc 23:155–166CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Gomes da Silva Medeiros L, Bandeira AG, Martius C (1999) Termite swarming in the northeastern Atlantic rain forest of Brazil. Stud Neotrop Fauna Environ 34:76–87CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Miyaguni Y, Sugio K, Tsuji K (2012) Refinement of methods for sexing instars and caste members in Neotermes koshunensis (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae). Sociobiology 59:65–68Google Scholar
  26. Miyaguni Y, Sugio K, Tsuji K (2013) The unusual neotenic system of the Asian Dry Wood Termite, Neotermes koshunensis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae). Sociobiology 60:1217–1222CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Nalepa CA, Miller LR, Lenz M (2001) Flight characteristics of Mastotermes darwiniensis (Isoptera, Mastotermitidae). Insect Soc 48:144–148CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Neoh KB, Lee CY (2009a) Flight activity and flight phenology of the Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae). Sociobiology 54:521–530Google Scholar
  29. Neoh KB, Lee CY (2009b) Flight activity of two sympatric termite species, Macrotermes gilvus and Macrotermes carbonarius (Termitidae: Macrotermitinae). Environ Entomol 38:1697–1706CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Nutting WL (1969) Flight and colony foundation. In: Krishna K, Weesner FM (eds) Biology of Termites vol 1. Academic Press, New York, pp 233–282CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. R Development Core Team (2015) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.org/
  32. Roisin Y (2000) Diversity and evolution of caste patterns. In: Abe T, Bignell DE, Higashi M (eds) Termites: evolution, sociality, symbioses, ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 95–119CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Sangamma I, Chimkod VB (2012) Swarming behavior of the termites, Odontotermes brunneus and Odontotermes wallonensis. World J Sci Technol 2:1–4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Stuart AM (1969) Social behavior and communication. In: Krishna K, Weesner (eds) Biology of Termites vol 1. FM, Academic Press, New York, pp 193–232Google Scholar
  35. Vargo EL, Husseneder (2011) Genetic structure of termite colonies and populations. In: Bignell DE, Roisin Y, Lo N (eds) Biology of termites: a modern synthesis. Springer, pp 247–321Google Scholar

Copyright information

© International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Graduate School of EducationUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
  2. 2.Department of Earth sciences, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
  3. 3.Research Institute for Humanity and NatureKyotoJapan

Personalised recommendations