94 PLATYPTERA. 



young Termite, is white ; even the tips of the mandi- 

 bles are only slightly tinted, while the hooks of the 

 feet are entirely colorless. Unlike the young locusts, 

 the larval Termites are nursed by the workers, who 

 prepare their food and tend them with great care. 

 The resemblance of these larvae to the Thysanuran 

 insects is seen in the shape of the body and the dis- 

 tinct thoracic rings. Those forms which are destined 

 to develop into males and females are kept longer 

 under the care of the workers, and pass through the 

 pupa stage. The pupae are colorless like the lar\^ae, 

 but have eyes and wing-pads fringed with hairs. They 

 are active, and therefore the metamorphosis of the 

 Termites is direct. 



There are two castes of males and females. The 

 complemental males and females, as they are called, 

 are supposed never to leave the nest. They are of 

 a light color, like the workers. In case of need, sev- 

 eral of these females are substituted for a true, pro- 

 lific queen. They can produce but few eggs, however, 

 and do not enlarge as does the queen. The king 

 and queen caste arises in the spring. They fly out in 

 clouds from the nests for their marriage flight. They 

 then alight on the ground and lose their wings. The 

 workers select from these a pair for each nest, and the 

 rest soon die. The royal pair are housed in a special 

 apartment. In Termes flavipes this caste is dark chest- 

 nut or black, but the royal pair have never yet been 

 found in any nest. 



The colorlessness of the Termites is interesting, 



pp. 870-873. See also Packard, Entomology for Beginners^ 

 p. 65. 



