Integrative taxonomy unravels the true identity of Linnaeus' <i>Termes fatalis</i> (Isoptera: Termitidae), the source of termites' name
Abstract The identity of Termes fatalis Linnaeus, the species that gave termites their name, is still controversial since recent molecular and chemical studies showed that at least two different taxa match its description. This paper aims to resolve this uncertainty and provide an unambiguous characterization of the type species of the genus Termes . We collected colonies matching the description of T. fatalis in French Guiana, compared the morphology of the different castes with type specimens of the Termes species reported from the northern Neotropics, sequenced their mitochondrial genomes, analyzed the chemical composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in workers and defensive secretions in soldiers. Our phylogeny revealed that the current definition of T. fatalis encompasses three distinct taxa, distinguished by morphological details, the chemistry of cuticular hydrocarbons, and defensive compounds. One species morphologically matches T. fatalis , while another one matches T. panamaensis (Snyder) and T. medioculatus Emerson, which cannot be distinguished and may be synonyms. The third species, herein described as T. incognitus sp. nov ., is new to science.
Authors
- Yves Roisin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6635-3552)
- Natan Horáček
- Simon Hellemans (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1266-9134)
- Rudolf H. Scheffrahn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6191-5963)
- Esra Kaymak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1235-7029)
- J. Timmermans (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7883-2081)
- Nicolas Fontaine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3643-0323)
- Menglin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2206-9503)
- Denis Fournier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4094-0390)
- Robert Hanus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7054-1975)
- Jan Křivánek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5229-6902)
- Nicolas Kaczmarek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2879-1575)
- Thomas Bourguignon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4035-8977)
Institutions
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (JP)
- Charles University (CZ)
- University of Fort Lauderdale (US)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (CZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Systematic Entomology
- Published
- 2025-10-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.70016
- Primary Topic
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
- Akademie Věd České Republiky
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science