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Datasheet

Microtermes (termites)

Summary

  • Last modified
  • 05 September 2012
  • Datasheet Type(s)
  • Pest
  • Preferred Scientific Name
  • Microtermes
  • Preferred Common Name
  • termites
  • Taxonomic Tree
  • Domain: Eukaryota
  •     Kingdom: Metazoa
  •         Phylum: Arthropoda
  •             Subphylum: Uniramia
  •                 Class: Insecta

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Pictures

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PictureTitleCaptionCopyright
Microtermes adult.
TitleAdult
CaptionMicrotermes adult.
CopyrightNatural History Museum, London
Microtermes adult.
AdultMicrotermes adult.Natural History Museum, London

Identity

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Preferred Scientific Name

  • Microtermes

Preferred Common Name

  • termites

EPPO code

  • MICTSP (Microtermes sp.)

Taxonomic Tree

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  • Domain: Eukaryota
  •     Kingdom: Metazoa
  •         Phylum: Arthropoda
  •             Subphylum: Uniramia
  •                 Class: Insecta
  •                     Order: Isoptera
  •                         Family: Termitidae
  •                             Genus: Microtermes

Distribution Table

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The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

CountryDistributionLast ReportedOriginFirst ReportedInvasiveReferencesNotes

ASIA

BangladeshPresentBaksha, 2001
ChinaPresentTsai & Chen, 1963
IndiaPresentChoudhury et al., 2001
-AssamPresentChoudhury et al., 2001
-BiharPresentSah et al., 2007
-DelhiPresentThakur, 2007
-HaryanaPresentThakur, 2007
-Himachal PradeshPresentThakur, 2007
-JharkhandPresentRabindra & Devendera, 2007
-Madhya PradeshPresentSharma et al., 2004
-RajasthanPresentSharma et al., 2004
-Tamil NaduPresentSantharam et al., 2002
-Uttar PradeshPresentMishra et al., 2007
-West BengalPresentChakraborti, 2007
IndonesiaPresentAbe, 1984; Roonwall, 1970; Sen-Sharma, 1986
-JavaPresentKalshoven & Laan, 1981; Intari & Wiraadinata, 1984
-SumatraPresentHarris, 1961
Malaysia
-Peninsular MalaysiaPresentAbe, 1984; Tho, 1992; Sen-Sharma, 1986
PakistanPresentAbdul et al., 2005
SingaporePresentSnyder, 1949
ThailandPresentAhmad, 1965; Abe, 1984; Sen-Sharma, 1986
VietnamPresentHarris, 1968; Laam Binh-Loi & Durand, 1971
YemenPresentGerbel, 2002

AFRICA

BotswanaPresentSchuurman, 2006
Côte d'IvoirePresentJouquet et al., 2004
EthiopiaPresentOfgaa et al., 2007
GhanaPresentBraimah et al., 2007
MalawiPresentRattan, 2000
NigeriaPresentOgbedeh et al., 2007
SenegalPresentSarr et al., 2005
South AfricaPresentBerg & Riekert, 2003
UgandaPresentSekamatte et al., 2003
ZimbabwePresentVale et al., 2004

Host plants/Plants Affected

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Plant nameFamilyContext
Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea)FabaceaeMain
Camellia sinensis (tea)TheaceaeMain
Coffea (coffee)RubiaceaeMain
Elaeis guineensis (African oil palm)ArecaceaeMain
Hevea brasiliensis (rubber)EuphorbiaceaeMain
Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena)FabaceaeMain
Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane)PoaceaeMain

Growth Stages

Top of pageFlowering stage, Fruiting stage, Post-harvest, Seedling stage, Vegetative growing stage

List of Symptoms

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SignLife StagesType

Leaves

abnormal colours

Roots

internal feeding

Stems

discoloration
external feeding
internal feeding
wilt

Whole plant

discoloration
wilt

References

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Abdul Sattar, Mohammad Naeem, Zahoor Salihah, Javed Khan, 2005. Ecology of fruit tree termites in Peshawar Valley. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 21(2):257-260.

Abe T, 1984. Colonisation of the Krakatau Islands by termites (Insecta, Isoptera). Physiological Ecology Japan, 21:63-88.

Abe T, Matsumoto T, 1978. Distribution of termites in Pasoh Forest Reserve. Malayan Nature Journal, 30:325-334.

Ahmad M, 1955. A new termite from E. Pakistan (Isoptera:Termitidae). Biologia, 1:25-27.

Ahmad M, 1958. Key to Indo-Malayan Termites. Biologia, 4:121-126.

Ahmad M, 1965. Termites (Isoptera) of Thailand. Bulletin of American Museum of Natural History, 131:1-114.

Baksha MW, 2001. Important pests of forest nurseries of Bangladesh and their management. Bulletin - Forest Entomology Series, Bangladesh Forest Research Institute, No.7:iii + 17 pp.

Berg Jvan den, Riekert HF, 2003. Effect of planting and harvesting dates on fungus-growing termite infestations in maize. South African Journal of Plant and Soil, 20(2):76-80.

Black HIJ, Wood TG, 1989. The effects of cultivation on the vertical distribution of Microtermes spp. (Isoptera: Termitidae: Macrotermitinae). Sociobiology, 15(2):133-138

Braimah H, Anchirinah VM, Adu-Mensah J, 2007. Yam pests in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana: a study of farmers' indigenous technical knowledge and control practices. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science, 40(1):33-42. http://www.ajol.info/viewarticle.php?jid=9&id=37707&layout=abstract

Chakraborti S, 2007. Termite management in cashew (Anacardium occidentale) plantation. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 77(11):789-792.

Chatterjee PN, and Thakur ML, 1964. Revision of the genus Microtermes (Wasmann) from the Indian region. Indian Forest Records, (ENT.), 10:219-260.

Choudhury P, Dey S, Dutta BK, Bhattacharjee PC, 2001. Ultrastructural details of the morphological adaptations of some tea pests of Assam (India). Entomon, 26(3/4):227-238.

Corbet GH, Miller NCE, 1936. The termite Microtermes pallidus Hav. in relation to tea in Malaya. Sci. Ser. Dept Agric. Straits Settlements and Fed. Malay States, 17:1-12.

Corbet GH, Miller NCE, 1953. Annual report of Department of Agriculture Federation of Malaya.

Cowie RH, Logan JWM, Wood TG, 1989. Termite (Isoptera) damage and control in tropical forestry with special reference to Africa and Indo-Malaysia: a review. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 79(2):173-184

El-Bakri A, Eldein N, Kambal MA, Thomas RJ, Wood TG, 1989. Colony foundation and development in Microtermes sp. nr. albopartitus (Isoptera: Macrotermitinae) in Sudan. Sociobiology, 15(2):169-173

Gerbel SS, 2002. Survey of termite species and methods for its control in Mukalla city and some locations around it. University of Aden Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(2):261-277.

Harris WV, 1961. Termites: Their Recognition and Control. London, UK: Longmans, Green and Co Ltd.

Harris WV, 1968. Isoptera from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Opuscular Entomologica, 33:143-145.

Intari SE, Wiraadinata YAP, 1984. Trials on the prevention of termite attack on cajuput (Melaleuca leucadendron) using insecticides and a sanitation method at Gundih, Central Java. Laporan, Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Hutan, Indonesia, No. 433:iv + 11 pp.; [En captions]; 6 ref.

Ismanto A, Sumarni GM, Amir M, 1988. The influence of three soil types on the soil termite community in DKI Jakarta. Duta Rimba, 14(93-94):26-29; 8 ref.

Jouquet P, Boulain N, Gignoux J, Lepage M, 2004. Association between subterranean termites and grasses in a West African savanna: spatial pattern analysis shows a significant role for Odontotermes n. pauperans. Applied Soil Ecology, 27(2):99-107.

Kalshoven LGE, Laan PA van der (Reviser and translator), 1981. Pests of crops in Indonesia (revised). Jakarta, Indonesia: Ichtiar Baru, 701 pp.

Lam Binh-Loi, Durand PY, 1971. The termites of Vietnam, systematics and biology - studies of resistance of woods in situ and in the laboratory. Service des Recherches Forestieres Ministere de la Reforme Agraire et Développement en Agriculture et POcherie.

Logan JWM, Cowie RH, Wood TG, 1990. Termite (Isoptera) control in agriculture and forestry by non-chemical methods: a review. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 80(3):309-330

Mishra DN, Vivek Yadav, Chandrapal, 2007. Effect of seed treatment with different insecticides against field termites Odontotermes obesus Rampur and Microtermes obesi Holmgren damage in wheat (Triticum aestivum) under Mid-Western Plain zone of UP. Environment and Ecology, 25(4):943-944.

Morimoto K, 1973. Termites from Thailand. Bulletin of the Government Forest Rxperiment Station, No. 257:57-80.

Ofgaa Djirata, Bekele Jembere, Emana Getu, Seyoum Mengistou, 2007. Prevalence of termites and level of damage on major field crops and rangelands in Manasibu district, Western Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences, 6(2):115-128. http://www.aau.edu.et/faculties/sc/BSE

Ogbedeh KO, Ofoh MC, Agu CM, Ihejirika GO, Obilo OP, Nwokeji EM, Duruigbo CI, 2007. Effects of organic and inorganic manures on the yield of yam tubers in termite infested soils. International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 9:66-71. http://www.ajol.info/viewarticle.php?jid=12&id=36134&layout=abstract

Pearce MJ, Bacchus S, Logan JWM, 1993. 'What Termite?' A guide and identification of termite pest genera in Africa. Technical Leaflet No. 4. Chatham, UK: Natural Resources Institute.

Rabindra Prasad, Devendera Prasad, 2007. Occurrence and succession of insect pests of linseed under agro-climatic condition of Ranchi (Jharkhand). Indian Journal of Entomology, 69(1):7-10.

Rajpreecha J, 1980. Insect pests of cashew in Thailand. Special Publication, National Biological Control Research Center, No. 2:vi + 182 pp.

Rattan PS, 2000. Termites: a summary of the species that affect tea. Quarterly Newsletter - Tea Research Foundation (Central Africa), No. 139:21-26.

Roonwal ML, 1970. Termites of the Oriental region. In: Krishna K, Weesna FM, eds. Biology of Termites, Vol 2. New York, London: Academic Press, 315-390.

Roonwal ML, 1979. Termite life and termite control in Tropical South Asia. Termite life and termite control in Tropical South Asia. Scientific Publishers. Jodhpur India, xi + 177 pp.

Sah SB, Mandal SK, Ali MS, 2007. Seasonal occurrence and incidence, type of damages in seedling and sapling stages of Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.) in Bihar. Environment and Ecology, 25S(Special 1):150-153.

Santharam G, Kumar K, Kuttalam S, Chandrasekaran S, 2002. Bioefficacy of imidacloprid against termites in sugarcane. Sugar Tech, 4(3/4):161-163.

Sarr M, Maniania NK, Russell-Smith A, Niassy A, 2005. Diversity of termites (Isoptera) in Senegal and their damage to crops and reforested areas. (Diversité des termites (Isoptera) au Sénégal et leurs dégâts sur les cultures et périmètres reboisés.) International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 25(3):147-158.

Schuurman G, 2006. Foraging and distribution patterns in a termite assemblage dominated by fungus-growing species in semi-arid northern Botswana. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 22(3):277-287.

Sekamatte BM, Ogenga-Latigo M, Russell-Smith A, 2003. Effects of maize-legume intercrops on termite damage to maize, activity of predatory ants and maize yields in Uganda. Crop Protection, 22(1):87-93.

Sharma AK, Babu KS, Nagarajan S, Singh SP, Manoj Kumar, 2004. Distribution and status of termite damage to wheat crop in India. Indian Journal of Entomology, 66(3):235-237.

Sri-Esti-Intari, 1978. Some important pests of forest trees in Indonesia. Proceedings of the Eighth World Forestry Congress, Jakarta, 16-28 October 1978. World Forestry Congress, Forestry for Industrial Development, No. FID-O-11.

Thakur RK, 2007. On a collection of termites (Insecta: Isoptera) from Himachal Pradesh, with new distributional records. Journal of the Indian Academy of Wood Science, 4(1/2):1-9. http://www.iaws.org.in

Thakur RK, 2007. Termites (Insecta: Isoptera) from Haryana, with new distributional records. Indian Forester, 133(11):1504-1512. http://www.indianforester.org

Thakur RK, 2007. Termites from Delhi (Insecta: Isoptera), with new distributional records. Indian Journal of Forestry, 30(4):505-508.

Tho YP, 1992. Termites of peninsular Malaysia. Malaysian Forest Records, No. 36. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 139-142.

Vale GA, Grant IF, Dewhurst CF, Aigreau D, 2004. Biological and chemical assays of pyrethroids in cattle dung. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 94(3):273-282.

Wood TG, Cowie RH, 1988. Assessment of on-farm losses in cereals in Africa due to soil insects. Insect Science and its Application, 9(6):709-716

Wood TG, Thomas RJ, 1989. The mutualistic association between Macrotermitinp and Termitomyces. Insect-fungus interactions. 14th Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society of London in collaboration with the British Mycological Society [edited by Wilding, N.; Collins, N.M.; Hammond, P.M.; Webber, J.F.] London, UK; Academic Press, 69-92

Zhu SM, Huang FS, Wang YZ, 1991. Four new species of the genera Microtermes and Ancistrotermes (Isoptera) from Yunnan, China. Entomotaxonomia, 13(3):161-170

Distribution Maps

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Distribution map Bangladesh: Present
Baksha, 2001Botswana: Present
Schuurman, 2006Côte d'Ivoire: Present
Jouquet et al., 2004China: PresentChina: PresentEthiopia: Present
Ofgaa et al., 2007Ghana: Present
Braimah et al., 2007Indonesia: Present
Abe, 1984Indonesia: Present
Abe, 1984Indonesia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndonesia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia: Present
Choudhury et al., 2001India
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryIndia
See regional map for distribution within the countryMalawi: Present
Rattan, 2000Malaysia
See regional map for distribution within the countryNigeria: Present
Ogbedeh et al., 2007Pakistan: Present
Abdul et al., 2005Singapore: PresentSenegal: Present
Sarr et al., 2005Thailand: Present
Ahmad, 1965; Abe, 1984Uganda: Present
Sekamatte et al., 2003Vietnam: Present
Harris, 1968Yemen: Present
Gerbel, 2002Yemen: Present
Gerbel, 2002South Africa: Present
Berg & Riekert, 2003Zimbabwe: Present
Vale et al., 2004
  • = Present, no further details
  • = Evidence of pathogen
  • = Widespread
  • = Last reported
  • = Localised
  • = Presence unconfirmed
  • = Confined and subject to quarantine
  • = See regional map for distribution within the country
  • = Occasional or few reports
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Distribution map (asia) Bangladesh: Present
Baksha, 2001China: PresentIndonesia: Present
Abe, 1984Java: Present
Kalshoven & Laan, 1981; Intari & Wiraadinata, 1984Sumatra: Present
Harris, 1961India: Present
Choudhury et al., 2001Assam: Present
Choudhury et al., 2001Bihar: Present
Sah et al., 2007Delhi: Present
Thakur, 2007Himachal Pradesh: Present
Thakur, 2007Haryana: Present
Thakur, 2007Jharkhand: Present
Rabindra & Devendera, 2007Madhya Pradesh: Present
Sharma et al., 2004Rajasthan: Present
Sharma et al., 2004Tamil Nadu: Present
Santharam et al., 2002Uttar Pradesh: Present
Mishra et al., 2007West Bengal: Present
Chakraborti, 2007Peninsular Malaysia: Present
Abe, 1984; Tho, 1992Pakistan: Present
Abdul et al., 2005Singapore: PresentThailand: Present
Ahmad, 1965; Abe, 1984Vietnam: Present
Harris, 1968Yemen: Present
Gerbel, 2002
Distribution map (europe)
Distribution map (africa) Botswana: Present
Schuurman, 2006Côte d'Ivoire: Present
Jouquet et al., 2004Ethiopia: Present
Ofgaa et al., 2007Ghana: Present
Braimah et al., 2007Malawi: Present
Rattan, 2000Nigeria: Present
Ogbedeh et al., 2007Senegal: Present
Sarr et al., 2005Uganda: Present
Sekamatte et al., 2003Yemen: Present
Gerbel, 2002South Africa: Present
Berg & Riekert, 2003Zimbabwe: Present
Vale et al., 2004
Distribution map (north america)
Distribution map (central america)
Distribution map (south america)
Distribution map (pacific) China: PresentIndonesia: Present
Abe, 1984