''Amitermes'' is a genus of

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

s in the family

Termitidae Termitidae is the largest family of termites whose members are commonly known as the higher termites. They are evolutionarily the most specialised termite group, with their highly compartmentalized hindgut lacking the flagellated protozoans comm ...

. It is the second largest genus after '' Microcerotermes'' in the subfamily

Amitermitinae Amitermitinae is a disputed subfamily of "higher termites" now often merged with the subfamily Termitinae and is considered by ITIS as a synonym; it had previously been placed in the family Rhinotermitidae. Amitermitinae have as typical charac ...

with around one hundred species. Species are found in a range of habitats including deserts and rainforests. Characteristics of ''Amitermes'' soldiers include a bulbous head, sickle-shaped mandibles with a single tooth on their inner margins and cephalic glands on the front of their heads.

Species

About one hundred species including the following species listed by the Encyclopedia of Life: *'' Amitermes beaumonti'' Banks, 1918 *'' Amitermes coachellae'' Light, 1930 *'' Amitermes conformis'' *'' Amitermes cryptodon'' Light, 1930 *'' Amitermes darwini'' *'' Amitermes dentatus'' *'' Amitermes emersoni'' Light, 1930 *'' Amitermes ensifer'' Light, 1930 *'' Amitermes eucalypti'' *'' Amitermes evuncifer'' *'' Amitermes floridensis'' Scheffrahn, Su and Mangold, 1989 *'' Amitermes germanus'' *'' Amitermes hastatus'' *'' Amitermes heterognathus'' *'' Amitermes laurensis'' *'' Amitermes lonnbergianus'' *''

Amitermes meridionalis ''Amitermes meridionalis'', commonly known as the magnetic termite or compass termite, is a species of eusocial insect in the family Termitidae. It is endemic to northern Australia and the common names derive from the fact that the wedge-shaped ...

'' *'' Amitermes minimus'' Light, 1932 *'' Amitermes obeuntis'' *'' Amitermes pallidus'' Light, 1932 *'' Amitermes parvulus'' Light, 1932 *'' Amitermes parvus'' *'' Amitermes silvestrianus'' Light, 1930 *'' Amitermes snyderi'' Light, 1930 *'' Amitermes vitiosus'' *'' Amitermes wheeleri'' (Desneux, 1906)

References

Termite genera {{termite-stub