70 Claude Fuller 



The Termites of South Africa. 



By Claude Fuller. 



(continued from page 52, Vol. III. No. I.) 



v.— TERMES GROUP. 



All the members of the genera included in this group are 

 *' Fungus growers " and as such fall into two sub-divisions; e.g. 

 those which imprison the breeding pairs within a clay cell and those 

 which seemingly allow these couples the run of the nest. Into 

 the first sub-division fall the genera Macrotermes, Termes (with 

 Odontotermes) and Acanihoiermes.^ Into the second, Allodon- 

 termes and Microtermes (with Ancistrotermes) . 



As between these two sub-divisions, the architecture of the nest 

 differs fundamentally. Those that imprison the breeding pairs 

 centralize their fungus gardens into one large main hive, with or 

 without supplementary cavities round about according to the 

 species. All the nests of Allodontermes and Microtermes (with 

 An ci'iiro termes) are comprised of a number of quite small cavities 

 each containing a single fungus garden. These small cavities 

 vary in size and, lying at irregular distances apart in the soil, are 

 connected with a maze like system of tenuous galleries. Biologically 

 the relationship between Allodontermes and Microtermes is very 

 marked. 



*The genus Acanthotermes is not discussed in the present paper 

 since I have not met with a representative thereof in South 

 Africa. Sjostedt (1913) records A. militaris var. minor from 

 " South Africa " but his reference probably relates to specimens 

 from Southern Rhodesia. Such material as I have of 

 Acanthotermes was all obtained from nests within vast mounds 

 of Macrotermes at Elizabethville, Belgian Congo. 



