White Ants 



flies, than they are to ants. Perhaps, after all, it is not so much 

 the resemblance of the individual termite to an ant which gave 

 it this name as it was the fact that all termites live together in 

 communities containing different castes and that thus their 

 social economy is in a way ant-like. 



The Isoptera undergo practically no transformation, that is to 

 say, they have very incomplete metamorphoses. The young ter- 



Fig. 242. — Termes flavipes: a, supplementary queen; b, nymph of winged female: 

 c, worker ; d, soldier. (After Marlatt.) 



mite, when it hatches from the egg is an active, crawling, six- 

 legged creature. It much resembles the adult, except in size, 

 whereas with the ants, it will be remembered, the larva is a footless 

 grub which looks no more like an adult than a garter snake re- 

 sembles a chipmunk. All species, as just stated, are social and 

 the communities consist of both wingless and winged individuals. 



354 



