Vol. XLV1II May, 1925 No. 5 



BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 



THK II I DING HABIT OF TERMITE CASTES AND 



ITS RELATION TO THEIR INTESTINAL 



FLAGELLATES. 



L. R. CLEVELAND.' 



More- than 100 genera and approximately 1,200 species of 

 termites are known; and each species is usually composed of 

 live castes, with male and female individuals in each. Three 

 of these castes, commonly referred to now us first, second, and 

 third forms, are responsible for the reproduction of other indi- 

 viduals like themselves and for two other castes, (corkers and 

 soldier^, \\hicli, .ill hough they possess reproductive OI-IMII-. ha\e 

 viven up the reproductive function (if they e\cr \ (assessed it 



Nearly all the observations and experiment- in tin- pre-cnt 

 paper have been carried out on one of the most common North 

 Ann rican termites, Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar, whose castes 

 ( Thump-on and Synder, '20) may be briefly described a> follo\\-: 



(i) First form, which has three well-defined pha- - of develop- 

 ment : (a) tin- n\ niphs (Figs. I, 2), with Ion- \\ in^ p. ids, creamy 

 white body 1.3 1.4 mm. long, light brown e\ < 'lie winded 



adult-, \\itli Ion- \\ings. dark brown body 6 mm. long, and black 

 the older males and females (Fig. 3), with enlaiv<l 

 abdomen- and the -rales of the shed wings, body 7-14 mm. loir^. 



(j) St-cotiii form, which, like the first form, has three well- 

 di tinrd ])ha-es of development: (a) nymphs (Figs. 4, 5), with 

 short \\ing pads and colorless body and eyes; (b) the youni; 

 adult-, with -liort >raly wing vestiges, straw-colored or grayi-h 

 bod\- o 7 mm. long; (r) the older adults (Fig. 6*. with wing 

 vestiges, enlarged abdomen, body length 7 12 mm. 



1 Fellow (in the Biological Sciences) of the Xatii r.il Ri--i-arch Council, working 

 at the Department i Medical Zoology, School of Hygiene and Public Health. 

 Johns Hopkins I 'ni\vr-it y. (Baltimore. Maryland. 



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