Fungus Food of certain Termites 1 39 



THE FUNGUS FOOD OF CERTAIN TERMITES. 



By AvERiL M. BoTTOMLEY, B.A. and Claude Fuller 

 Department of Agriculture, Pretoria, S. Africa. 



Almost since 1 78 1 when Smeathman first commented upon 

 the white globules *' which evidently appeared to be a species of 

 mushroom " found by him in the *' nurseries " of Macrotermes 

 bellicosus (Sm.). a profound interest has been attached to the 

 cultivation of fungi by certain white ants. And it was Smeathman 

 who observed that the white globules or '* spheres " as they 

 have come to be called, were " composed of an indefinite num- 

 ber of pellucid particles, approaching to oval forms and difficult 

 to separate ". 



The nature of these spheres, the combs on which they grow 

 and the other fungi with which they are associated have all been 

 ably set out by Fetch ( 1 906) . 



Although, following upon the observations of Doflein ( 1 905 ) , 

 it is generally accepted that the young of certain termites sub- 

 sist on the spheres, it is still held that the case is not definitely 

 proved, however probable. According to Fetch, the spheres 

 were found by Doflein in the crops of all the larvae and nymphae 

 investigated and the cells of the spheres were quite uninjured. 

 Fetch goes on to remark " It has yet to be decided whether the 

 larvae feed themselves (p. 245) The non-occurrence of in- 

 jured spheres on the comb suggests that each is devoured whole. 

 If so, although the spheres are abundant, there does not appear 

 to be at any time a sufficiently large number to supply food for 

 the crowded hosts of larvae, unless the growth of the fungus is 

 abnormally rapid ". 



One of the writers (C.F., 1920) stated it could be readily 

 demonstrated that the immature forms of Macrotermes natalensis 

 (Hav.) fed regularly upon the cells composing the white spheres. 



