Heterotermes indicola, is a species of subterranean termite of the genus Heterotermes. It is native to tropical India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka but has extended its range into the subtropics and warm temperate areas of the Himalayan foothills to altitudes of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[1] It causes damage to timber in buildings and is one of the most destructive termites in urban and agricultural areas in the world.[2] Soldiers are about 4.1-4.9mm long.[3] Extracts of garlic[4] and Calotropis procera[5] are known to have termiticidal effects on H. indicola.
| Heterotermes indicola | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Infraorder: | Isoptera |
| Family: | Rhinotermitidae |
| Genus: | Heterotermes |
| Species: | H. indicola
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann, 1902)
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Ecology
editSubterranean termites live in colonies underground, with no mounds or above-ground structures to indicate that they are present. Sugarcane can be severely attacked causing 90 to 100% damage, fruit orchards 80 to 90% damage, maize 45% damage and wheat 10 to 12% damage.[6] Another crop attacked by this termite is the bitter melon (Momordica charantia).[3] This termite favours a soil moisture content of 20 to 30%, and a timber moisture content of 80 to 100%.[7]
These termites are known to attack and feed on many economically important species on a large scale, reducing their yield. Trees and woody plants attacked include:[8]
- Abies pindrow
- Acacia arabica
- Albizzia lebbeck
- Alstonia scholaris
- Azadirachta indica
- Betula utilis
- Camellia sinensis
- Cedrus deodara
- Cordia oblique
- Dalbergia sissoo
- Ehretia serrate
- Erythrina suberosa
- Eucalyptus citriodora
- Ficus religiosa
- Heterophragma adenophyllum
- Mangifera indica
- Melia azedarach
- Momordica charantia
- Moringa oleifera
- Morus spp.
- Pinus wallichiana
- Pinus roxberghii
- Populus deltoides
- Putranjiva roxburghii
- Syzygium cumini
- Terminalia arjuna
- Ziziphus jujuba
Structural damage
editThis subterranean termite causes extensive damage in houses to wooden structures, as well as feeding on paper, cloth and other cellulose-containing products. It gains entry to buildings through timber in contact with the ground, creating galleries along the grain of the wood. It hollows out the timber, leaving a thin external layer intact and plastering the interior surfaces with excreta. It also creates mud tunnels along surfaces, and sometimes creates hanging, stub tunnels, a particular characteristic of this species. Timber buildings can be badly affected by this termite, and in the 1940s, the small town of Sri Hargobindpur in Punjab had to be abandoned because of the destruction wreaked by this species.[3]
References
edit- ^ Mani, M.S. (2012). Ecology and Biogeography in India. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 452. ISBN 978-94-010-2331-3.
- ^ "An annotated checklist of termites (Isoptera) from Sri Lanka". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Mahapatro, Gagan Kumar. "Reporting first time Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) from Delhi". Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Behavioral Changes of Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Against Some Natural Products" (PDF). Pakistan J. Zool. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Toxic Effects of Ak (Calotropis procera) Plant Extracts Against Termites (Heterotermes indicola and Coptotermes heimi) Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae". Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Sohail, Kamran; Khan, Imtiaz Ali; Saljoqi, Ahmad Ur Rahman; Manzoor, Farkhanda; Ashfaq, Sana; Sadozai, Amna (2014). "Tunnelling behavior of Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) under insecticide treated conditions". Sarhad Journal of Agriculture. 30 (1).
- ^ Mani, M.S. (2012). Ecology and Biogeography in India. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 434. ISBN 978-94-010-2331-3.
- ^ "Comparative Study of Resistance and Feeding Preference of 24 Wood Species to Attack by Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann) and Coptotermes heimi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae, Termitidae) in Pakistan". Sociology - An International Journal of Social Insects. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
External links
edit- Semiochemicals of Heterotermes indicola
- Insecticidal studies on Heterotermis indicola Wasmann (Isoptera: Heterotermitidae) under laboratory conditions
- Toxicity and repellency of different insecticides against Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
- Toxicity and Retention of Dye Markers to Heterotermes indicola
- Evaluation of chlorfluazuron against subterranean termites Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Pakistan
- Efficacy of indoxacarb and chlorfenapyr against subterranean termite Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the laboratory Archived 2017-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
- First record of Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) from south India
- Potential of Fipronil as a Feeding Toxicant Against the Subterranean Termite Heterotermes indicola (Rhinotermitidae: Isoptera) Archived 2017-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
- A termite trap, NIFA Termap for capturing large number of field population of Heterotermes indicola
- Occurrence of enzymes for protein digestion in the termite Heterotermes indicola
- Preliminary Evaluation of Ocimum Sanctum As Toxicant and Repellent Against Termite, Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
- Aberrant Behavior of Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann) in Constructing Hanging Food Tunnels Archived 2017-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
- The Effect of some Protozoacides, on the Survival of Symbiotic Flagellates of Coptotermes heimi and Heterotermes indicola.