288 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVI, No. 7 
nearly 3 miles along the streets of Ancon these “Palomitas de San 
Juan” were everywhere flying aimlessly yet persistently through the air. 
On June 28, 1921, Mr. Zetek collected winged adults of Coptotermes 
niger in flight at his home in Panama City. He states: 
There was a heavy downpour at about 11.30 a. m. which lasted till about 2 p. m., 
with light drizzle after that till about 3p.m. Thereafter it was very humid and dusky, 
and the sun hidden by clouds. At exactly 5.30 p. m. on our front porch we saw the 
first winged termites and then they came in large numbers, flying about aimlessly 
yet intent upon flying, for as they touched the floor they at once got up again or flut¬ 
tered around hastily. If a hood was put over them so as to produce darkness, they 
became very quiet, either entirely still or else walked slowly. We had to adopt this 
method in order to get good specimens quickly for otherwise it was very difficult to 
catch them. I was unable to find where they came from. They flew as high as the 
second story of the house. The flight ended by gradual diminution at about 8 p. m., 
having made our dinner hasty and nasty. When they alighted on light clothing or 
on a white face they danced about rapidly, causing much irritation both to skin and 
temperament. If they alighted on dark clothes or on the skin of a negro they were 
more quiet and did not move about rapidly. They cause much nervousness in those 
visited by them, the people becoming very irritable. I am sure the hasty eating, 
which in unscreened houses necessarily results, reflects on the general health of the 
victim. Only one species appeared to be involved. 
LEUCOTERMES TENUIS 
Two new species of Leucotermes have been included under the specific 
name tenuis , one of which, convexinotatus , occurs in Panama. 9 Leucoter¬ 
mes tenuis is a widely distributed termite and has been found in South 
America, Central America, and the West Indies. L. convexinotatus 
occurs in Panama and in the West Indies. 9 
Leucotermes tenuis was taken in Panama by Beaumont and L. convexi¬ 
notatus by the Hassler Expedition. The latter is probably the more 
common species. Both species are found on the Atlantic as well as the 
Pacific slope. These two termites have apparently the same habits; 
they attack timber and living vegetation and are found in the outer 
parts of mound nests of Amitermes medius. Both L. tenuis and L. 
convexinotatus are of considerable interest from an economic point of 
view and of great importance in the Canal Zone and Panama, where they 
do considerable damage both to timber and to living vegetation. These 
termites have been found in a wide variety of habitats, and are common 
and destructive species. 
Leucotermes tenuis well illustrates what may happen when tropical 
termites, even though they seem unimportant in their native home, are 
introduced into a new region where conditions are favorable to their 
establishment. This has also been shown in the case of Coptotermes 
intrudens Oshima, the history of the introduction of which into Hawaii 
is not so clear as is that of the introduction of L. tenuis into the isolated 
island of St. Helena. Froggatt (10, 11, and 14) has given the account of 
this. In the year 1840 a West Indian slaver was captured by the British 
warships in the vicinity of St. Helena and towed into the port of James¬ 
town, where it was allowed to rot. In due season the winged adults 
of the termites (L. tenuis ), with which its wooden hull had become infested 
in the West Indies, swarmed and flew into the town. Conditions being 
favorable to its development, the species soon established itself in the 
wooden roofs and other parts of the buildings, necessitating the removal 
* Snyder, Thomas E. op. cit. Unpublished. 
