author's abstract of this paper issued 

 by the bibliographic service, october 28 



ORIGIN OF THE CASTES OF THE COMMON TERMITE, 

 LEUCOTERMES FLAVIPES KOL 



CAROLINE BURLING THOMPSON 



Department of Zoology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts 



FORTY-TWO FIGURES 



CONTENTS 



1. Introduction 83 



2. Historical review 85 



3. The origin of the castes of L. flavipes and L. virginicus 101 



a. Introductory remarks 101 



b. Material and methods 102 



c. Scope of the work 104 



d. Development of L. flavipes from time of hatching to first molt 104 



Early phases 



Phase 1. The newly hatched nymphs of L. flavipes 107 



Phase 1. The newly hatched nymphs of L. virginicus 113 



Phase 2. Nymphs with 10 antennary segments, third segment 



entire, L. flavipes 113 



Middle phases 



Phase 3. Nymphs with 10 antennary segments, third segment 



grooved, L. flavipes 114 



Phase 4. Nymphs with 11 antennary segments L. flavipes 119 



End phases 

 Phase 5. Nymphs with 12 antennary segments, third segment 



entire, L. flavipes 121 



Phase 6. Nymphs with 12 antennary segments, third segment 

 bare or hairy, L. flavipes 121 



e. The origin of the worker and soldier castes of L. flavipes 124 



f . The question of the origin of the third reproductive caste of L. flavipes 126 



4. Discussion and conclusions 126 



5. Summary of results 131 



6. Bibliography 134 



INTRODUCTION 



The origin of the different castes of termites has been discussed 

 for many years and from many points of view, and is a question 

 of far reaching biological significance, in that its solution may 



83 



