The Termites of Florida
A guide to exotic and native species
Rudolf H. Scheffrahn
Created August 2025
Preface
This website, https://www.floridatermiteid.org/, was developed through a grant (UF grant AWD18935) funded by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Wilton Simpson Commissioner. In August 2024, the FDACS Pest Control Research Selection Committee formulated a list of research and education topics to fund. The Committee’s top priority was “Invasive termite species/identification”. On 12 March 2025 members of the Pest Control Enforcement Advisory Council, under the chairmanship of Sean Brantley, selected to fund my proposal entitled “Identification of Invasive Termite Species, Native Economic Species, and Future Termite Invaders of Florida”.
The abstract of the proposal reads as follows:
Florida’s tropical/subtropical climate and large urban centers support a large array of structural and household insect pests. Florida also has a very prominent pest control industry that provides the citizens of the State with vital services to eliminate pestiferous species. An overriding component and first step for pest control providers is the identification of the target pest(s) involved. Termites, because of their damage potential, are the most economically important structural pests in the State. Termites require proper identification as varied control procedures are aimed at specific groups, control methods are highly technical, and treatments are more costly than for other household pest groups. The aim of this project is to provide termite species characters (all castes), distribution, damage, flight characteristics, and niche requirements using a web-based platform that can be accessed in the field during the inspection process. Established invasive species, native species, and those that have the potential for introduction in the State will be addressed.
My interest in termites began in 1976 when I was a lab assistant in Dr. Michael K. Rust’s laboratory at the University of California, Riverside. My first taxonomic paper on termites was published in 1983. In early 1985, when I began my new job at UF, I was struck by the contrast in the tropical flora and fauna of South Florida compared to those I grew up with in the mediterranean climate of Southern California. Although my main assignment was to research structural fumigation and the control of drywood termites, I continued my interest in termite diversity. When I arrived in Florida, two invasive termite species, Cryptotermes brevis and Coptotermes formosanus, were already established there. Since then, five new non-native species have become established in Florida: Amitermes wheeleri, Coptotermes gestroi, Heterotermes cardini, Incisitermes minor, and Nasutitermes corniger. Surely, these will not be the last. In 1994, a highly cited paper was published on the identification of Florida termites known at the time (HYPERLINK).
My first venture beyond Florida was a survey of the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1990. At the behest of Dr. John Mangold and James A. Chase (Terminix ret.), we ventured further into the West Indies to conduct a termite survey of the Dominican Republic. The DR expedition yielded many new termite species not previously known to exist. This ignited a quest to document the termite fauna of the West Indies, followed by Central, and then South America. We also collected the termites of the southern U.S. Our final expedition in 2014 was to Peru. These foreign expeditions yielded 31,088 termite samples added to the University of Florida Termite Collection which now approaches 48,000 colony samples. At this point in my career, I have described or redescribed about one hundred new termite species and genera from around the world.
Rudolf H. (Rudi) Scheffrahn
Professor of Entomology
University of Florida
Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center
UF Termite Collection U.S. Localities
EDUCATION
University of California, Riverside, BS Entomology, 1978
University of California, Riverside, MS Entomology, 1981
University of California, Riverside, PhD Entomology (Chemistry minor), 1984
Drywood vs. Subterranean Termites
Asian vs. Formosan
Major Economic Genera
Major Economic Genera
Asian vs. Formosan
Drywood workers move slower, occur only inside wood
Evidence and Damage: Drywood Termites
Evidence and Damage: Subterranean Termites
Evidence and Damage: Wood Decay
Evidence and Damage: Arboreal (Nasute) Termites
Keys to Florida Termite Genera based on the soldier (A) or the winged imago (B)
A. Soldiers.
1. Nasutiform, i.e., head distinctly modified by long frontal projection; mandibles
reduced to non-functional stubs; arboreal; Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae (Fig.1) ……..…………………………………….…………………………......................Nasutitermes
- Head not distinctly modified by long frontal projection; mandibles well developed;
subterranean or wood dwelling (Figs. 2-9) ….……………………………..….......….............2
2. Pronotum as wide as head; wood-nesting; Kalotermitidae (Figs. 2-6)…….........……...….3
- Pronotum narrower than head; Rhinotermitidae or Termitidae (Figs. 7-9)……...……...…7
3. Head blackish, subquadrate or phragmotic, (Figs. 2,3).……………………...….....….....…4
- Head orangish, rectangular; mandibles projecting far beyond labrum (Figs. 3-6).…. ..….5
4. Fore tibia lacking large spur (Fig. 2)…………………………………........….....Cryptotermes
- Fore tibia with large spur; pseudergates with mesonotal rasp (Fig. 3)...…....Calcaritermes
5. Anterior margin of pronotum rounded; pronotum collar-like, much wider than long, third antennal article only slightly enlarged (Figs. 4-5).……………………………........……6
- Anterior margin of pronotum angular; pronotume shield-like, slightly wider than long, third antennal article enlarged, club-like (Fig. 6)...........................................................Incisitermes
6. Soldier large, head width greater than 2 mm, basal mandibular humps slight to moderate (Fig. 4)........................................................................................................................Neotermes
- Soldier smaller, head width ca. 1.4 mm, basal mandibular humps pronounced (Fig. 5) …………………...……......……….…...........................................................…...........Kalotermes
7. Pronotum saddle-shaped in lateral view (Termitidae: Termitinae), blade of each mandible with single marginal tooth (Fig. 9)………………..…….……..….............................Amitermes
- Pronotum flat, not saddle-shaped (Rhinotermitidae), blade of each mandible without marginal teeth (Figs. 7-8)…………………………………………………………...............……8
8. Head capsule rectangular; fontanelle faint or absent, opening dorsally; mandible blades straight except for ~ 30-60º curvature in distal one-fourth (Fig. 7A, B)..….….......................9
- Head capsule narrowed anteriorly; fontanelle distinct, opening to anterior or to dorsum; mandibles curved ~ 70º in distal one-fourth (Figs. 8A,B).………….....…..............................10
9. Bases of mandibles slender, blades rather straight (Fig. 7A)…...……..…..…Heterotermes
- Bases of mandibles broad, left blade S-curved (Fig. 7B)……….......……..…Reticulitermes
10. Fontanelle large, opens to anterior above labrum (Fig. 8A)…………....…...Coptotermes
- Fontanelle minute, opens to dorsum on vertex (Fig. 8B)…………....…...…Prorhinotermes
B. Winged Imagos.
1. Three or four pigmented and sclerotized veins in costal margin of fore wing; radial sector with several diagonal anterior branches (except in Calcaritermes); wing membrane without setae, Kalotermitidae (Figs. 10, 12-15).……………………….……………….……....2
- Two pigmented and sclerotized veins in costal margin of wing; setae on wing membrane absent to heavy, Rhinotermitidae & Termitidae (Figs. 17-21)……….......…...........................4
2. Median vein of fore wing recurved toward and intersecting radial sector at about half of wing length, except for Cr. brevis (Figs. 10B, 12)..…………….……..................Cryptotermes
- Median vein of fore wing extending to near wing apex, not intersecting radial sector (Figs. 10,11) .……………………………………………………............….…................………..3
3. Media pigmented and sclerotized with anterior branches; large species, head width at eyes > 1.4 mm (Figs. 10A,13).………………………………………….....….............Neotermes
- Media pigmented without anterior branches, media running very close to radial sector; smaller species, head width < 1mm (Fig. 15)……….………...................……...Calcaritermes
- Media unpigmented and unsclerotized, frons convex and smooth; smaller species, head width at eyes < 1.4 mm (Fig. 14.).…………...……...............……Incisitermes or Kalotermes
4. Scales of anterior wing noticeably larger than, and overlapping posterior scales
(Rhinotermitidae, Fig. 16A); membrane light brown to unpigmented.………........…….…..5
- Scales on anterior and posterior wings about equal; anterior scale not overlapping posterior scale (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae or Termitinae, Fig. 16B); wing membrane smoky blackish…….…............................................................................................................….8
5. Forewing membrane reticulate (Figs. 17-18).…………………...….........……...…….….....…6
- Forewing membrane smooth (Figs. 19-21)………………………………....……....…........….7
6. Costal margin straight in middle; median vein present (Fig. 17)…..….......…Reticulitermes
- Costal margin arched in middle; median vein absent (Fig. 18)……....….....Prorhinotermes
7. Wing membrane with few hairs; smaller species (Fig. 19)…..…....…..……....Heterotermes
- Wing membrane with many hairs; larger species (Fig. 20)……...….......……..Coptotermes
8. Larger species; right fore wing length ca. 11 mm (Fig. 21A)………......…........Nasutitermes
- Smaller species; right fore wing length ca. 7 mm (Fig. 21B)……..…..…..........…..Amitermes
Florida Termite Key Figures
Termites of the United States
Archotermopsidae, primitive dampwood termites
Family Kalotermitidae ("drywood" termites)
dealates colonize wood
Hawaii only
Eagle Pass, TX
Photo: Thomas Chouvenc
Family Rhinotermitidae (subterranean termites)
Family Termitidae (higher termites)
Some of my favorite field photos
High-Res Montage Photomicrographs
Expedition Posters
Panama 2005
Field macrophotography becomes practical
Guatemala 2006
Honduras 2007
Venezuela 2007
Venezuela 2008
Colombia 2009
Panama 2010
mistaken for Cr. domesticus in lit.
Ecuador 2011
very long alate nymphs
foraging through wood
Paraguay 2012
Bolivia 2013
Peru 2014
Enteric valve armature of New World soldierless termites (Apicotermitinae)
(names with "x" prefix are my unpublished manuscript names)
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