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Blueprints of Termite and Ant Nests

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Ichnoentomology

Part of the book series: Topics in Geobiology ((TGBI,volume 37))

Abstract

The present review on extant termite and ant nests is an attempt to synthesize useful characters to employ in the distinction of both nests and also to provide an overview of termite and ant architecture in a single chapter. Types of termite and ant nests, particularly those in soils, are described. The different components of termite architecture, such as endoecie, paraecie, periecie, exoecie, calie, habitacle, royal cell, hive, and others are explained, as well as, recognized types of nest growth. The typical architecture of different families and subfamilies of termites is reviewed. The different types of ant nests in soil are described. Blueprint-style plates depict many of the typical nests produced by termites and ants in soils. Color plates on some producers and their nests are provided, along with some of the historical pictures by Carlos Bruch. Different digging and building behaviors are explained.

“A few enthusiasts have published drawings and photographs of nest structures, but rarely in a systematic manner. Grassé (1984) reviewed all the available information. Only for a handful of the most conspicuous mound-building species do we really know what the internal structure of their nests is like, and even more rarely do we know how their foraging passages and other external structures are laid out. It remains a badly neglected aspect of termite behaviour and ecology. With the discovery of trace fossils at several interesting paleontological sites in Africa, it is increasingly apparent that we simply do not know enough to interpret them properly”.

(Jo Darlington 2011, Trace fossils interpreted in relation to the extant termite fauna at Laetoli, Tanzania)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council of Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Fernando Genise (Principal Researcher, Founder)

  2. National Ichnological Collection and Division Icnología of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, President of the First International Congress on Ichnology (Ichnia 2004), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Fernando Genise (Principal Researcher, Founder)

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Genise, J.F. (2017). Blueprints of Termite and Ant Nests. In: Ichnoentomology. Topics in Geobiology, vol 37. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28210-7_11

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