Constrictotermes is a genus of
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In biogeogra ...
higher termites within the subfamily
Nasutitermitinae
The Nasutitermitinae is a near Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan subfamily of Termitidae, higher termites represented by 81 genera and 605 species. The highly derived soldier caste exhibits vestigial mandibles and a protruding Fontanellar ...
. They form large open-air foraging columns from which they travel to and from their sources of food, similar to the
Indomalayan species of
processionary termites. Species of this genus commonly build epigeal or arboreal nests and feed on a variety of lichens, rotted woods and mosses.
Description
Soldiers are monomorphic and identifiable with a notable constriction of the head behind the antenna sockets; the antenna have 13-14 articles, and the points of the mandibles are small. Species of this genus are distributed throughout the Neotropics, occurring primarily within South America and Central America; with one species, ''C. guantanamensis,'' being found within the extreme southeastern coast of Cuba.
Within South America, Constrictotermes spp. can be found from the tropical rainforests of the Amazon to the
xeric shrublands of Northeastern Brazil.
As with all Nasutitermitinae termites, the soldiers are capable of shooting a noxious terpene based chemical repellant from their
fontanellar gun
The fontanellar gun is a termite Defense in insects#Chemical defenses, defense mechanism in the form of a horn-like frontal projection (''nasus'') on the head of the soldier caste which is capable of expelling chemical weaponry at a distance, a tr ...
that solidifies when exposed to air.
Species
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Constrictotermes cavifrons''
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Constrictotermes cyphergaster''
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Constrictotermes guantanamensis''
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Constrictotermes latinotus''
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Constrictotermes rupestris''
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Constrictotermes cacaoensis''
References
{{Authority control
Insects of Central America
Insects of South America
Insects described in 1910
Termites