LABORATORY EVALUATION OF WITHIN-SPECIES, 
BETWEEN-SPECIES, AND PARTHENOGENETIC 
REPRODUCTION IN RETICULITERMES FLAVIPES 
AND RETICU LITE RATES VIRGINICUS 1 
By Ralph W. Howard, 2,3 Eldon J. Mallette, 2 3 
Michael I. Haverty, 4 and Richard V. Smythe 5 
Introduction 
Considerable interest currently exists regarding the reproductive 
strategies of social insects (Blum and Blum, 1979; Crozier, 1979). 
Among termites (Order Isoptera) colony foundation by alate pairs, 
fusion of existing colonies, splitting of existing colonies, and 
parthenogenesis have all been reported (Nutting, 1969). Little 
information is available regarding the relative importance of each of 
these strategies. 
The genus Reticulitermes (Rhinotermitidae) contains six Nearctic 
and twelve Palearctic species, three of which have been critically 
examined for reproductive modes. Pickens (1932) and Weesner 
(1956) studied colony foundation of R. hesperus Banks by male + 
female dealate pairs, as well as by parthenogenesis. Buchli (1950) 
studied similar strategies for R. lucifugus Rossi. Clement (1979) 
studied interspecific hybridization of R. santonensis Feytaud and R. 
lucifugus. More limited studies on colony foundation by male + 
female dealate pairs of R.flavipes (Kollar) were conducted by Beard 
(1974). 
Field studies with R. flavipes (Howard and Haverty, 1980) 
suggest that an important reproductive strategy for this species is 
colony splitting with subsequent production of numerous (several 
hundred) neotenic reproductives. However, sizeable alate flights are 
also a prominent feature of the biology of Reticulitermes spp. and 
1 Manuscript received by the editor July 6, 1981. 
2 Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Southern Forest Experiment Station, P. O. Box 2008 
GMF, Gulfport, MS 39503. 
3 Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 
4 Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, P. O. Box 245, Berkeley, 
CA 94702. 
5 North Central Forest and Range Experiment Station, 1992 Folwell Avenue, St. 
Paul, MN 55108. 
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