LIBRARY

ISOPTERA 169
single genus, Hodotermes Hagen, and 15 species living in Africa and Central
Asia. They are subterranean grass feeders.
Family KALOTERMITIDJE 1 Banks 1920 (CALOTERMITIDJE Enderlein
1909) (Ka'lo-ter-mit'i-dre, from the Greek KaAbs, beauty, -I- termes; beautiful
termites).
Primitive dry and damp wood species living in and feeding upon dry, damp,
or wet wood below or above ground and not requiring a ground connection.
They are small or relatively large species that lack the clypeal median line and
fontanel but with the gula longer than broad and ocelli usually present. The
worker caste is lacking, the nymphs performing the duties of the colony.
According to Light (1934), the familY is represented by about 20 genera and
240 species, many of which are destructive to wood and various products derived
from it. Intestinal protozoans are associated with these wood-destroying forms.
Kalotermes Hagen, the dominant genus, is represented in North America by
four important species: K. snyderi Light extends from Mexico through the Gulf
States northwards along the Atlantic coast; K. hubbardi Banks inhabits the
arid southwest of the United States and western Mexico; K. minor Hagen occupies
the western Pacific region. All these may be destructive to wooden
structures, dead timber, and wood products of all kinds, while K. castaneus
(Burmeister) (Neotermes) , of Florida and the West Indies, attacks the
roots, trunks, and limbs of living citrus, oak, mangrove, and other trees. In
Ceylon K. dilatatus Bugnion and Popoff, K. greeni Desneux, and K. militaris
Desneux attack the roots of growing plants and are injurious in tea plantations.
Members of the genus Zootermopsis Emerson are among the largest termites
and live in damp wood below or above the surface of the soil. They often
swarm at sunset in great numbers from stumps, fallen logs, and partly killed
and dead standing trees, but are rarely of economic importance. The three
American species all occur west of the Rocky Mountains: Z. angustieolUs
(Hagen) along the Pacific coast; Z. nevadensis (Hagen) in the foothills and
mountains west of the Rockies; and Z. latjeeps (Banks) in the mountains of
Arizona and New Mexico.
Cryptotermes brevis (Walker), occurring in Florida, West Indies, Mexico,
Central America, and southward to Brazil, is probably the most destructive
dry-wood termite in that area. C. piceatus (Snyder) is a dry-wood species infesting
wooden structures, boxes, furniture, and similar articles. It occurs
throughout the tropical Pacific area.
Greek rlpfJ.CJ., an end, death; referring to the insect known as the death watch. which in olden
times was thought to be the wood louse, Atropos, but was really the beetle, Anobium. Its
ticks foretold approaching death (see the death watch, p. 576).
1 The genus [rom which this family name is derived was originally spelled Kalotermes by
Hagen (1853). Subsequently he changed it to Calotermes (Hagen 1858, p. 33) from which Enderlein
(1909) erected the family CALOTERMITIDAE. Both these names have been applied
in recent years. The confusion has arisen from the transliteration of the Greek letter I(
into the English letter K or C. There seems to be no uniform practice in this respect, either one
being commonly used in biological names.
"Since evidence of the derivation of the word is not contained in the original pUblication the
original spelling (Katotermes) shQuld be preserved." (Int. Rules of Zool. Nom., Opinion 34.)