Milk Termite at Lower Cotter Catchment
Identification history
| Coptotermes lacteus | 11 Apr 2024 | DonFletcher | ||
| Unidentified | 11 Apr 2024 | NMenzies |
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User's notes
Within LCC - possible Rosenberg site?
4 comments
DonFletcher
wrote:
11 Apr 2024
Hi @NMenzies, Goannas are known to nest in the mounds of Nasutitermes exitiosus, one of the Gluegun Termites (plus arboreal termite nests are sometimes used by Tree Goannas). This is the mound of the Milk Termite Coptotermes lacteus. There are no confirmed (and hardly any unconfirmed) records of any goanna species nesting in a Coptotermes termite mound, but there have been so few people watching, it is still a slim possibility that they do. Tree Goannas dig into the mound at ground level, as do Echidnas. Rosenbergs Goannas dig in at a higher level, often about 15-40 cm below the very top. Keep looking but this digging might be by Echidnas, Humans or even Pigs perhaps if pigs dig into mounds.
DonFletcher
wrote:
11 Apr 2024
Also a goanna nesting excavation may start wide like these but then it will have a narrow part where the tunnel is only10cm wide. Did either of these excavations have that narrow tunnel going deeper into the mound?
NMenzies
wrote:
13 Apr 2024
Hi Don, thanks for your comment. Did not know that Rosenbergs dig in at a higher point and will keep that in mind when observing future mounds! No, from memory, it was a wide opening right to the back of the excavation - no visible narrow tunnel beyond. Thanks for all the info! Can I ask - how do you tell the difference from a Nasutitermes vs a Coptotermes mound at that distance?
DonFletcher
wrote:
13 Apr 2024
Hi @NMenzies, the harder Coptotermes mounds can be steep and tall. Nasutitermes mounds are never as steep nor tall as this.
Location information
- Coordinates 148.912217-35.318275
- Altitude 593.3m
- Maps Lower Cotter Catchment Cotter Reservoir
- Places Uriarra Village, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 10 Apr 2024 12:38 PM Recorded on
- NMenzies Recorded by
-
Collections
Insects Other insects Termites (superfamily Termitoidea) NMenzies Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr
Additional information
- 12mm to 25mm Animal size
- Termites Associated Insect
- False Pollinator Insect on Flower
Species information
- Coptotermes lacteus Scientific name
- Milk Termite Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 724.7m Recorded at altitude
- Machine learning
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
