180 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIX, No. 4 
Central America is an extremely inter¬ 
esting field for biological and taxonomic 
studies of termites. 
Damage by termites to the wood¬ 
work of buildings in the Canal Zone is 
common and severe, while injury to 
living shade and fruit trees and other 
vegetation is serious, healthy living 
trees being attacked and killed. The 
Bureau of Entomology has therefore 
begun a series of experiments in the 
Canal Zone with wood preservative 
treatments to prevent termite damage 
to buildings, as well as tests of insecti¬ 
cides to kill Coptotermes infesting 
trees. J. Zetek, of this bureau, sta¬ 
tioned at Ancon, Canal Zone, and the 
writer are cooperating in this work, 
some of which, through the courtesy of 
the Institute fcr Research in Tropical 
America, will be conducted at the site 
of their station on 'Barro Colorado 
Island. 
The seven new species are Kalotermes 
panamae, K. ( Glyptotermes ) angustus, K. 
( G .) barbouri, and K. (G.) emarginicollis , 
in the family Kalotermitidae, and Ar- 
mitermes ( Armitermes ) chagresi, A. 
(. Rhynchotermes) perarmatus, and Nasu- 
titermes (Unifor miter mes) barro-colora- 
densis , in the family Termitidae. 
A list of the known termites of the 
Canal Zone and adjacent Panama is 
appended. The present paper will be 
followed shortly by a longer biological 
paper discussing these termites, their 
distribution, economic importance, and 
control. 
HABITS AND HABITATS 
Unlike ants, termites 2 are not domi¬ 
nant insects. They seldom come above 
ground to forage in the direct sunlight, 
and species which do forage above 
ground are specially modified. The 
deeply pigmented, sexual adults possess 
eyes and are phototropic at the time 
of the annual colonizing flight, known 
as the “swarm”; but after the flight, 
which is generally of short duration, 
the dealated adults rapidly become 
thigmotropic and seek shelter in or 
under decaying wood on the ground or 
in crevices in dead trees. Most ter¬ 
mites are blind and live hidden within 
wood, underground, or in carton tree 
nests or mound nests on the ground. 
Colonies occur under a great variety 
of habitats—in the sands near sea 
coasts, in forests, swamps, plains, arid 
deserts, fields, orchards, and cities. By 
the clearing of forest land in temperate 
regions, subterranean termites are often 
driven to attack the crops and buildings 
of man. In the moist tropical jungle, 
subterranean termites inhabiting wood 
on the ground are often killed by the 
intense heat of the sun in clearings for 
crops. 
As a rule termites of subterranean 
habit must come above or near the sur¬ 
face of the ground to procure their food, 
which consists of wood, vegetation, or 
roots. To solve this difficulty, these 
soft-bodied, blind insects take the 
ground and moisture out with them. 
Even when working in the tops of lofty 
trees they are thus “below ground.” 
For protection and moisture they 
construct earthlike carton shelter tubes 
of excreted wood and soil cemented to¬ 
gether. Occasionally these run along: 
the ground, but more often mount in 
extensive ramifications to the tops of 
the trees, meandering along every 
branch and twig, and here and there 
debouching into large covered chambers 
which occupy half the girth of the trunk. 
Most trees in some regions are thus 
fantastically plastered over with tubes, 
galleries, chambers of earth, and carton 
nests. 
Hence it will be seen that wood, no 
matter how dry, may be attacked by 
subterranean termites if there is access 
to the wood from the soil whence they 
can obtain moisture. 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 
Termites, although widespread, are 
not to be found in arctic regions or 
above timber line on mountains. They 
occur in the temperate regions of the 
world and in the tropics and subtrop¬ 
ics, where termites reach their max¬ 
imum development. They have not 
the wide range of distribution of ants, 
nor are there as many species of ter¬ 
mites as there are of ants. 
The more permanent nests and more 
stable colonies occur in the tropics. 
Colonies in temperate regions have but 
poorly defined nests and are more 
mobile; in the tropics specialized nest 
structures are the rule. 
SOCLAL LIFE 
Unlike colonies of ants, termite col¬ 
onies are societies of sexual and sterile 
castes of both sexes. The male con¬ 
tinues to cohabit with the female and 
copulation is repeated at intervals 
throughout life. Although soft-bodied 
and usually blind and sensitive to light, 
termites are the longest-lived of all 
insects. Reproductive adults may live 
2 Termites, or “white ants,” are termed “comixen” or “comejcn” in Cuba and Spanish Cen¬ 
tral America and South America, but are termed “cupim” in Brazil. 
