Abstract
The cellulase activities of workers (or pseudoergate) of five species of common termites, Reticulitermes flaviceps, R. leptomandibularis, Coptotermes formosanus, Odontotermes formosanus, and Cryptotermes pingyangensis, were studied in China. The results indicated that R. leptomandibularis workers had the highest activity of β-glucosidase and cellulase against carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Cry. pingyangensis pseudoergate had the highest activity of cellulase against CMC and O. formosanus had the largest β-glucosidase activity in the head compared to other tested termites. R. leptomandibularis in the foregut and hindgut and C. formosanus in the midgut had the highest activity of cellulase against CMC, and R. flaviceps in the hindgut and C. formosanus in the midgut had the largest β-glucosidase activity among the five tested termites. The main digestive sites of CMC and salicin for Cry. pingyangensis were in the foregut and midgut. The strongest digestibility of CMC was in the foregut for R. flaviceps and R. leptomandibularis and in the foregut and midgut for C. formosanus. The digestion of salicin for O. formosanus and C. formosanus were concentrated in the head and midgut, respectively. R. leptomandibularis and R. flaviceps had the strongest digestibility of salicin in the head and hindgut.
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