Nasutitermes (genus)

Snouted termite, Gluegun termite at Yass River, NSW

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Identification history

Nasutitermes (genus)	14 May 2025	MichaelMulvaney
Nasutitermes exitiosus	13 May 2025	MichaelMulvaney
Nasutitermes exitiosus	24 Nov 2019	SenexRugosus

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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

DonFletcher wrote:

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.

SenexRugosus wrote:

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.

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Location information

Maps Rugosa
Places Yass River, NSW

Sighting information

101 - 1,000 Abundance
SenexRugosus Recorded by
Collections
SenexRugosus NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Termites (superfamily Termitoidea) Other insects Insects

Additional information

Eucalyptus dives stump (long dead) Associated plant
Less than 5mm Animal size

Species information

Nasutitermes (genus) Scientific name
Snouted termite, Gluegun termite Common name
Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Machine learning
External link More information

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania