First Record of the Soil-feeding Higher Termites (Isoptera: Termitidae) from Okinawa Island, the Central Ryukyus, Japan

Tomonari Nozaki,Kenji Matsuura,Masaru Hojo,Toshihisa Yashiro

doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v68i2.6159

Abstract

Some of termites have been introduced outside their native ranges, and it has been suggested that both wood-eating and wood-nesting lifestyles are critical for the transportation of propagules. Here, we present the first record of the soil-feeding and soil-nesting termite Pericapritermes nitobei (Isoptera: Termitidae) in the Motobu Peninsula on the northern part of Okinawa Island in the Central Ryukyus. The fact that the previous extensive surveys of termites in the Ryukyu Archipelago did not detect P. nitobei in the Central Ryukyus, including the Motobu Peninsula, and its discontinuous distribution, indicate that P. nitobei has been recently introduced into the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa Island from the Yaeyama Islands, similar to the fungus-growing and soil-nesting termite Odontotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Termitidae). Together with O. formosanus in the southern part of Okinawa Island, our findings in this study raise the possibility that non-wood-feeding and non-wood-nesting termites can be introduced and established outside their native ranges by human activities.

Highlights

Termites play important roles in ecosystems, especially as decomposers and soil engineers (Bignell & Eggleton, 2000; Holt & Lepage, 2000)
It is suggested that the O. formosanus found on the Okinawa Islands has been introduced from the Yaeyama Islands, based on its discontinuous and restricted distribution on Okinawa Island (Hojo, 2019)
We report the unusual findings of a population of the soil-feeding higher termite Pericapritermes nitobei (Shiraki) (Isoptera: Termitidae) on the northern part of Okinawa Island in the Central Ryukyus, as this species is native to the Yaeyama Islands and other regions (Taiwan, mainland China, and Southeast Asia) (Ikehara, 1966; Yasuda et al, 2000; Krishna et al, 2013)

Summary

Introduction

Termites play important roles in ecosystems, especially as decomposers and soil engineers (Bignell & Eggleton, 2000; Holt & Lepage, 2000). We report the unusual findings of a population of the soil-feeding higher termite Pericapritermes nitobei (Shiraki) (Isoptera: Termitidae) on the northern part of Okinawa Island in the Central Ryukyus, as this species is native to the Yaeyama Islands and other regions (Taiwan, mainland China, and Southeast Asia) (Ikehara, 1966; Yasuda et al, 2000; Krishna et al, 2013).

Results

Conclusion