Termitotroginae is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
subfamily of the family
Scarabaeidae
The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change. Several groups formerly tre ...
, the scarab beetles. The only genus in the subfamily is ''Termititrox''. A second genus, ''Aphodiocopris'', Arrow, 1920, has been
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
ised with ''Termitotrox''. All known members of this subfamily are tiny, blind and flightless, and are
termitophiles, dwelling within the fungal gardens of colonies of species of
termite
Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...
in Africa or tropical Asia.
Termitotrogins are characterised by having no eyes and no wings, and their pronotum and elytra have a distinctive patterning of ribs and grooves. The function of the beetles in the termite colony is unclear but it seems that they are likely to be obligatory termitophiles and somehow play an important role in the nest environment of their fungus-growing hosts.
Species
The following
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
are included in the genus ''Termitotrox'':
[
*'' Termitotrox ancoroides'' (Petrovitz, 1956) – Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
*'' Termitotrox consobrinus'' Reichensperger, 1915 – Republic of South Africa and KwazuluNatal
*'' Termitotrox cupido'' Maruyama, 2012 - Cambodia ]Termitotrox kenyensis
Termitotroginae is a monotypic subfamily of the family Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetles. The only genus in the subfamily is ''Termititrox''. A second genus, ''Aphodiocopris'', Arrow, 1920, has been synonym (taxonomy), synonymised with ''Termitotr ...
'' Paulian, 1985 – Kenya
*'' Termitotrox maynei'' Reichensperger, 1956 – Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
*''Termitotrox minutus
Termitotroginae is a monotypic subfamily of the family Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetles. The only genus in the subfamily is ''Termititrox''. A second genus, ''Aphodiocopris'', Arrow, 1920, has been synonymised with ''Termitotrox''. All known memb ...
'' (Arrow, 1920) – India
*'' Termitotrox monodi'' Paulian, 1947 – Ivory Coast
*'' Termitotrox permirus'' Wasmann, 1918 – India
*''Termitotrox turkanicus
Termitotroginae is a monotypic subfamily of the family Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetles. The only genus in the subfamily is ''Termititrox''. A second genus, ''Aphodiocopris'', Arrow, 1920, has been synonymised with ''Termitotrox''. All known memb ...
'' Krikken, 2008 – Kenya
*''Termitotrox usambaricus
Termitotroginae is a monotypic subfamily of the family Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetles. The only genus in the subfamily is ''Termititrox''. A second genus, ''Aphodiocopris'', Arrow, 1920, has been synonymised with ''Termitotrox''. All known memb ...
'' Krikken, 2008 – Tanzania
*''Termitotrox vanbruggeni
Termitotroginae is a monotypic subfamily of the family Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetles. The only genus in the subfamily is ''Termititrox''. A second genus, ''Aphodiocopris'', Arrow, 1920, has been synonymised with ''Termitotrox''. All known memb ...
'' Krikken, 2008 – Kenya
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16993009
Polyphaga subfamilies
Scarabaeidae
Monotypic animal subfamilies