First Report of Incisitermes minor (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in Louisiana

Abstract

On 9 June 1998, drywood termite alates, soldiers, and pseudergates were collected from inside a dead limb of a living Arizona ash, Fraxinus uelutina Torr., tree inside 31acre Louis Armstrong Park, which is located immediately northwest of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. Subsequent inspection of Perseverance Hall in the park revealed an extensive drywood termite infestation on the first and second floors. Perseverance Hall is located in the southeast portion of the park approximately 25 meters from the ash tree. On 22 July 1999, a drywood soldier was collected from inside Perseverance Hall. Previously, only a few pseudergates and dark-colored wings had been recovered. The alates and soldiers collected from the ash tree and the soldier and wings recovered in Perseverance Hall were identified as the western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor (Hagen) (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) using termite keys developed by Banks & Snyder ( 1920), Snyder (1954), Weesner (1965), and Scheffrahn & Su (1994). Incisitermes minor alates were also collected during the last week of May until the last week of June from 20.7 cm x 10.2 cm glue traps (TRAPPER?LTD, Bell Laboratories, Inc., Madison, WI.) placed near lights inside the park and on the perimeter fence surrounding the park. Two I. minor alates were recovered from 19 traps in 1998 and 28 alates were recovered from 70 traps in 1999. These glue traps were originally placed in the park to monitor flight activity of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). This is the first record of I. minor in Louisiana and the first infestation in non-structural wood noted for this species in Louisiana. Voucher specimens were deposited at the University of Florida termite collection in Ft. Lauderdale and at the City of New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board termite collection in New Orleans. Incisitermes minor is considered one of the five most economically important and destructive termites in the United States (Su & Scheffrahn 1990). However, the main distribution of I. minor is primarily found in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico (Light 1934). Non-native drywood termite species are generally introduced into new areas after infested furniture and lumber is shipped from one state to another. The first introduction of I. minor in Florida was reported after alates swarmed from an infested chair that was shipped from California (Scheffrahn et al. 1988). Snyder (1954) reported the introduction of I. minor into a church in Cleveland, Ohio, in wood boxes shipped from Mexico and into a house in Niagara Falls, New York, from grape boxes shipped from California. Incisitermes minor was also introduced to a building in Toronto, Canada (Grace et al. 1991). Other reports of I. minor introductions in structural wood include Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Maryland, and Iowa (Gay 1967). Howell et al. (1987) reported I. minor from furniture in Texas. The source of the I. minor infestation in New Orleans is unclear. It is not known whether the ash was infested with I. minor before being planted near Perseverance Hall 15-18 years ago. Some reports suggest Perseverance Hall has had a drywood in-