Nasutitermes (genus)
Snouted termite, Gluegun termite at Yass River, NSW
Identify this sighting
| Nasutitermes (genus) | MichaelMulvaney | 14 May 2025 | |
| Nasutitermes exitiosus | MichaelMulvaney | 13 May 2025 | |
| Nasutitermes exitiosus | SenexRugosus | 24 Nov 2019 |
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User's notes
Pretty little creature - for something that's planning to demolish my house...
First picture seems to show 3 forms - a beaked version, a non-beaked version, and an big ugly white thing with four lumps on its shoulders.
2 comments
14 May 2025
Hi @MichaelMulvaney , The only soldier (1st pic) does not look like exitiosus to me. The pale head makes me suspect its one of the other Nasutitermes species that does not build a mound.
Hi @SenexRugosus, The 'beak' is the head of a soldier in one of the Gluegun genus of termites, Nasutitermes. Their jaws are reduced to the extent you cant normally see them. For defensive purposes the soldiers produce a droplet of goo from the pointed end of their snout, which gums up and dissolves enemy ants and other termite species. Soldiers are the caste that is used for identification of the species. The majority of other termites in your photos are workers, plus there is what I assume to be an immature male.
Hi @SenexRugosus, The 'beak' is the head of a soldier in one of the Gluegun genus of termites, Nasutitermes. Their jaws are reduced to the extent you cant normally see them. For defensive purposes the soldiers produce a droplet of goo from the pointed end of their snout, which gums up and dissolves enemy ants and other termite species. Soldiers are the caste that is used for identification of the species. The majority of other termites in your photos are workers, plus there is what I assume to be an immature male.
14 May 2025
Thanks @DonFletcher, it is true that these guys are in a tree stump, with no visible termite mound nearby. I'll try to get some better photos of the soldiers if they are still there.
Location information
- Maps Rugosa
- Places Yass River, NSW
Sighting information
- 101 - 1,000 Abundance
- SenexRugosus Recorded by
- Eucalyptus dives stump (long dead) Associated plant
- Less than 5mm Animal size
Collections
- SenexRugosus NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Nasutitermes (genus) Termites (superfamily Termitoidea) Other insects Insects
Species information
- Nasutitermes (genus) Scientific name
- Snouted termite, Gluegun termite Common name
- Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 924.95m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species