Sawtooth termite
The Sawtooth termite, scientifically known as Seritermes serrifer, is a unique insect found primarily in Brazil, specifically within the walls of other termite mounds. Unlike many termites that build their own nests, saw-tooth termites inhabit the existing structures of Cornitermes termite mounds. These small, pale, and blind insects play a significant role in their colonies, which are organized into a caste system consisting of workers, soldiers, and reproductive members.
Worker saw-tooth termites are responsible for foraging for food and caring for the queen and her offspring, while soldier termites defend the colony against smaller predators. The reproductive members, including the queen, can be quite large—up to 5 1/2 inches long—and are prolific egg layers, producing up to 30,000 eggs daily. The queen's chemical signals help determine the caste of her offspring, ensuring the proper functioning of the colony. Saw-tooth termites can live for more than a decade, particularly the king and queen, making them a fascinating subject for further exploration within the diverse world of termites.
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Sawtooth termite
Seritermes serrifer is the only species in the family of saw-tooth termites. This small insect lives in Brazil in the walls of other termites' mounds.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Family: Serritermitidae
Genus: Serritermes
Species: Serrifer
Although saw-tooth termites are small, pale, and blind, like other termites, they have very different social habits. Instead of developing nests, saw-tooth termites colonize the walls of existing termite mounds. They are common in the walls of Cornitermes termite mounds in Brazil. These mounds may be 13 feet (4 meters) tall. Saw-tooth termites may have received the name saw-tooth for their ability to dig into the brick-hard walls of termite mounds.
Most saw-tooth termites grow to be about one inch (2 1/2 centimeters) long, but queen saw-tooth termites may grow to be up to 5 1/2 inches (14 centimeters) long. They have worker, reproductive, and soldier termites to help in their wall colonies. Reproductive saw-tooth termites leave the main colony, find mates, and build new colonies in the walls of other termite mounds. Worker saw-tooth termites stay in the colonies and spend their time finding food and caring for the queen and young termites. Soldier saw-tooth termites protect the colony from predators like centipedes, spiders, and army ants. They have no defenses against larger predators, such as anteaters and aardvarks, which easily break into large termite mounds and suck out the insects with their snouts. This division between the various jobs within the colony is part of the termites' caste system. In this system, every member of society is brought into the world into a certain position. In the case of termites, the positions are the reproductive caste, the worker caste, and the soldier caste.
Each colony of saw-tooth termites is led by a queen and king. These two termites begin their lives as reproductives in other colonies. They find each other along with a mound to start their colony, or family. The king and queen spend their time mating and laying eggs. The queen can produce as many as 30,000 eggs in one day. This amazing egg production is the reason for the queen's unusual size.
As the queen lays her eggs, she also releases chemicals that determine the caste of her offspring. The workers caring for the queen lick her body and pick up these chemicals. They then pass these chemicals on to the young during feeding. Eventually, the young are old enough to join the social system of the colony in their appropriate castes.
In addition to raising the young, worker saw-tooth termites also gather food for the colony. It is unknown exactly what saw-tooth termites eat.
Like other termites, saw-tooth termites can have extremely long life spans. King and queen saw-tooth termites may live more than 10 years.
Bibliography
Young, Ed. "For 4,000 Years, Termites Have Been Building Something Incredible in Brazil." The Atlantic, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/brazil-termite-murundus-mounds-space-4000-years-old/576160. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.