Subclass Pterygota:
Pterous (winged) insects, develop by metamorphosis
Division Exopterygota
(exo = outer; pteron = wing)
Orthopteroid orders
(orthos = straight; pteron = wing)
Order Isoptera
(isos = equal; pteron = wing)
COMMON NAMES: Termites, white ants
QUICK DESCRIPTION: Termites are social insects, living in colonies. They have soft bodies, biting mouthparts, small eyes and short antennae. The reproductives in the colony have wings, and swarm at mating time -- when a mating pair finds a new place to start a colony, they break off their wings and start their burrowing lifestyle. (The Pacific dampwood termite is Bug-of-the-Month for May.)
MINUTE DETAIL: Polymorphic social insects living in colonies that comprise reproductives, soldiers, and workers; head with moniliform multisegmented antennae and mandibulate mouthparts, compound eyes present but frequently degenerate, ocelli often absent; wings when present almost identical and membranous, lying horizontally over the abdomen when at rest, capable of being shed by a predetermined basal fracture; legs identical and with a large coxa, tarsi almost always four-segmented; cerci short and with few segments, external genitalia lacking in both sexes of most species.
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