Studies on the Caste Differentiation in Termites

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  • SHIMIZU Kaoru
    Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki

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  • シロアリの階級分化に関する研究
  • シロアリ ノ カイキュウ ブンカ ニ カンスル ケンキュウ エイブン 3
  • III. Emergence of Soldiers and Supplementary Reproductives of the Japanese Termite, <i>Leucotermes (Reticulitermes) speratus</i> (KOLBE)
  • 第3報 ヤマトシロアリの兵蟻及び副生殖虫の発現

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The Japanese termite was used for study of the caste differentiation of termites, particularly of the differentiation of soldiers and supplementary reproductives.<br>Emergence of soldiers was examined in 200 experimental colonies starting each with a royal couple, and some relation between the emergence of soldiers and the number of larvae plus workers was noticed. Soldiers appeared in only 4 out 53 artificial colonies containing less than 5 larvae plus workers, the emergence ratio, 7.4per cent. Among the 25 colonies containing more than 10 larvae plus workers, on the contrary, 20 colonies yielded soldiers. Ratio of soldier emergence reached 80per cent here. It follows therefore that the emergence ratio of soldiers increases with the number of larvae plus workers in the colonies and a certain number of larvae plus workers is needed for the initiation of soldier differentiation.<br>Another series of experiments demonstrated that the supplementary reproductives could develop either from larva-workers or nymphs, but most frequently from nymphs combined with considerable numbers of workers.<br>From these results it can be concluded that the caste differentiation in the Japanese termite is easily influenced by the construction of members in the colonies. From the result, a diagram of the caste differentiation in the Japanese termite was made.

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