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‘Whence the Termites of Hawaii? 
BY THOMAS E. SNYDER. 
Entomologist, Bureau of Entomology, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
(Presented by O. H. Swezey at the meeting of March 1, 1923.) 
On a recent visit to the Museum of Camparative Zoology, 
Cambridge, Mass., through the kindness of Mr. Nathan Banks, 
I was able to examine a small collection of termites from 
Hawaii. Among this material were large-sized soldiers of a 
species of Neotermes which may be Neotermes connexus var. 
major Sny. I recently described this variety from dealated 
adults collected at Kaiwiki. The label in the vial of the mate- 
rial from the Museum of Comparative Zoology was merely 
“Hawaiian Islands.” 
Very few termites are known from Hawaii; but five species 
have been described, four being in the more primitive family 
Kalotermitidae and one being in the intermediate family Rhino- 
termitidae; no species in the more highly specialized family 
Termitidae are known from Hawaii. A list of the species of 
termites of Hawaii showing family relationship and occurrence 
follows: 
Family Kalotermitidae. 
Neotermes connexus Snyder.....................All Islands 
Neotermes connexus var. major Snyder...... Hawaii, Kaiwiki 
Kalotermes immigrans Snyder............... Oahu, Honolulu 
Cryptotermes piceatus Snyder................ Oahu, Honolulu 
Family Rhinotermitidae. 
Coptotermes intrudens Oshima.............. Oahu, Honolulu 
It would be interesting to know whether these termites are 
native to Hawaii or not. Students of the fauna of Hawaii 
claim that there is only one native species of termite, namely 
the mountain form, Neotermes connexus Snyder, formerly sup- 
posed to be “Calotermes”’ castaneus Burmeister of the United 
States and the West Indies. Neotermes connexus Sny. is a true 
forest insect, confining itself to the mountain forests, but occurs 
on all the islands. It is sometimes injurious to living forest 
Proc. Haw. Ent. Soc., V, No. 3, December, 1924. 
