1980] 
Thorne — Nasutitermes 
237 
Figure 1. A. N. corniger nest; B. N. ephratae nest. Note the differences in surface 
texture and contour. 
the nest may generate lobes on the contour of the surface. 
N. ephratae nest exteriors are a lighter brown and distinctly 
smoother than N. corniger surfaces [Figure lb]. The form of N. 
ephratae surface carton creates a leathery appearance. Nests of N. 
ephratae are more evenly spherical or ellipsoidal than N. corniger 
nests. The smooth, rotund silhouette is reformed by the termites if a 
portion of the nest is damaged or enlarged. 
Internally, N. corniger nests are heavily reinforced (with thick, 
dense carton) around the queen cell [Figure 2a]. The queen’s 
chamber measures from 1.5 to 8.0 cm at its maximum width, and 
from 0.6 to 0.9 cm in height. The queen cell is usually located in a 
central portion of the nest, often near (and sometimes within) the 
tree trunk or branch which hosts the nest. Hard, thick carton 
surrounds the queen cell and can continue out radially from the 
chamber for 2-20 cm, depending on nest size and age. Carton 
density decreases somewhat with distance from the queen cell, 
although this pattern is variable. In small, young nests the dense 
queen cell wall is only 1-2 cm thick. There is a rapid transition from 
thick queen cell carton to thin surrounding carton in such nests. 
Outer portions of an N. corniger nest can be relatively thin, 
although the termites may reinforce areas with thicker material if 
the nest is damaged by a predator. Older nests tend to be harder 
