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An amazing termite from Camerun - Pseudacanthotermes spiniger

termite termites isoptera pseudacanthotermes

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#1 Offline ItalianTermiteMan2.0 - Posted December 17 2023 - 6:15 PM

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Minor soldiers, major soldiers and major workers of Pseudacanthotermes spiniger, a fantastic fungus-growing termite that i pictured in southern Camerun last month.

The morphological differences between minor and major soldiers are impressive in this species, with the fast and agile minors being especially peculiar with their compact dark bodies, long legs and massive antennae, all in all almost looking and moving more like an ant than a termite; meanwhile majors have much bulkier, termite-like proportions and large abdome swollen with defensive fluid secerned directly after a bite as a wound-active toxin. Both soldier forms also sport a characteristic pronotum with two frontal spikes.

 

 

pseudaca 1.JPG


Edited by ItalianTermiteMan2.0, December 17 2023 - 6:25 PM.

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#2 Offline bmb1bee - Posted December 17 2023 - 8:58 PM

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Are you sure that's not Pheidole?? They're rocking the trimorphic worker/soldier castes. Looks like some termites are starting to mimic ants, probably in retaliation to species like Pheidole nasutoides.  :lol:


Edited by bmb1bee, December 17 2023 - 8:58 PM.

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"Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, his eyes can't hit what the eyes can't see."
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Check out my shop and parasitic Lasius journal! Discord user is bmb1bee if you'd like to chat.

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#3 Offline ItalianTermiteMan2.0 - Posted December 18 2023 - 6:44 AM

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Are you sure that's not Pheidole?? They're rocking the trimorphic worker/soldier castes. Looks like some termites are starting to mimic ants, probably in retaliation to species like Pheidole nasutoides.  :lol:

 

Lol!

 

Well, technically they're quadrimorphic as there are tiny minor workers aswell, they just aren't shown in this pic!


Edited by ItalianTermiteMan2.0, December 18 2023 - 6:44 AM.

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#4 Offline JesseTheAntKid - Posted December 26 2023 - 9:44 AM

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Termite soldiers with eyes: Haha ants, how do you feel about THAT?

Driver ants: Am I a joke to you? 


Currently keeping: Pheidole obscurithorax (FINALLY I CAN STUDY THEM AND HAVE THEIR COOL MAJORS  B)), Tetramorium bicarinatum, Solenopsis spp. (probably xyloni, the queens are tiny hehe)

Wanting: Atta texana, Camponotus planatus (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HOOK ME UP WITH ATTA)

Previously kept: Monomorium minimum, Pheidole dentata

 

"ATTAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!" -Me

"AAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" -Even more me

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"- Me personified


#5 Offline ItalianTermiteMan2.0 - Posted December 26 2023 - 3:54 PM

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Termite soldiers with eyes: Haha ants, how do you feel about THAT?

Driver ants: Am I a joke to you? 

 

These soldiers lack eyes, as all higher termites (family Termitidae) do. Incidentally, they're also the same species seen fighting driver ants in a BBC Earth Youtube vid humorously titled "defending the ant nest from intruders", despite the driver ants being the attackers. Sadly it's all staged and not an actual assault on a termite mound (they even use unrelated footage of a completely different genus for the queen), but still show some nice footage of Pseudacanthotermes and Dorylus in action.


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#6 Offline AsdinAnts - Posted December 26 2023 - 8:29 PM

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calling them out lol
Currently keeping
-A. occidentalis
-B. patagonicus
-C. vicinus
-F. neogagates
-M. invidia
-Stennama spec..
I will want to also keep some other lasius types in the future.
You should also subscribe to my youtube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@AsdAnts





Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: termite, termites, isoptera, pseudacanthotermes

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