Termitoidae (informal group)

Unidentified termite at Tharwa, ACT

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Termitoidae (informal group) DonFletcher 7 Jan 2025
Unverified BethanyDunne 7 Jan 2025

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These termites had been working on this tree for a while! can't believe it was still standing complete mush on the inside.

4 comments

   7 Jan 2025
Hi Beth, to identify most species of termites from photos, good images of soldiers are needed. Soldiers have a larger head capsule and prominent jaws or pointed 'gluegun' snouts. (Exceptions are the two local mound-building species of termites, but there would be at least 30 other species locally).
   7 Jan 2025
Thanks Don, I've added two additional photos with some of the soldiers if that helps?
   7 Jan 2025
Thanks Beth, it does help quite a bit. I suspect it is Porotermes adamsoni but cant rule out another group for sure. If you can use the original of the last photo to make an enlargement of the soldier, that might help. And were the soldiers unusually long for termites, i.e. 10mm? And did they have flattened heads?
   7 Jan 2025
We need to see the teeth on the mandibles. They are not bilaterally symmetrical!

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Location information

Sighting information

  • 101 - 1,000 Abundance
  • 6 Jan 2025 08:38 AM Recorded on
  • BethanyDunne Recorded by
  • Mountain Gum Associated plant
  • 5mm to 12mm Animal size

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Quality score 6 / 7
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