1981] Howard, Mallette, Haverty, & Smythe — Reticulitermes 83 
male + R. virginicus female combination (Fig. 1C), R. virginicus 
male + R. flavipes female combination (Fig. 2A), and R. virginicus 
female + R. virginicus female combination (Fig. 3 A) were similar at 
all time intervals examined. A maximum mean number of six to 
eight eggs were present by day 40 and a maximum mean number of 
six to eight larvae were present by 60 to 100 days. The fall R. 
flavipes male + R. flavipes female combination produced similar 
numbers of eggs and larvae (Fig. 1 B) as the above combinations, but 
at a slower rate. 
In contrast, the R. flavipes male + R. virginicus female combina- 
tion (Fig. 2B) and the R. flavipes female + R. flavipes female 
combination (Fig. 3B) each produced a mean of up to 15 eggs within 
the first 40 to 60 days, but produced essentially no larvae. 
Symbiotic Protozoa in Progeny of Between-Species Pairings 
R. flavipes male + R. virginicus female: Ten larvae beyond the 
third instar from four experimental units were examined for 
protozoa. Seven larvae contained protozoa, and of these, two 
contained protozoa typical of R. flavipes, two contained protozoa 
typical of R. virginicus, and the remaining three contained mixtures 
of protozoa characteristics of both termite species. 
R. virginicus male + R. flavipes female: Seventeen larvae from 
five experimental units were examined for protozoa. All larvae 
contained protozoa. Three contained protozoa typical of R. fla- 
vipes, five contained protozoa typical of R. virginicus, and the 
remaining nine contained mixtures of protozoa typical of both 
termite species. 
Discussion 
Successful incipient colony foundation by male and female 
dealates of R. flavipes and R. virginicus occurred readily in the 
laboratory. The young colonies were provided with abundant food, 
plentiful water, an absence of predators, and near optimum 
temperatures. Despite this, the growth rate of all colonies was slow, 
with no more than 20 to 30 larvae being produced within the first 
year. These results agree closely with published laboratory data on 
several other rhinotermitids. Buchli (1950) obtained ca. 30 individ- 
uals from R. lucifugus dealate pairs after 8 months, Weesner ( 1956) 
and Pickens (1932) obtained 15 to 20 individuals from R. hesperus 
