Cavitermes tuberosus 肉瘤腔白蚁
- Type locality
- Guyana: Cuyuni-Mazaruni: Barakara [6.3833N 58.6667W]
- Distribution
- Brazil, French Guiana, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Guyana, Ecuador, Venezuela
List: English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Cavitermes tuberosus is a species and the type species of the genus Cavitermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Termitinae). The species was described by Emerson in 1925; the type locality is Guyana: Cuyuni-Mazaruni: Barakara [6.3833N 58.6667W]. Distribution: Brazil, French Guiana, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Guyana, Ecuador, Venezuela.
Etymology
Genus name Cavitermes: From Latin cavus (hollow) + termes.
Specific epithet tuberosus: From tuber + osus
Taxonomic position
- Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
- Subfamily: Termitinae — 23 genera, 107 species
- Genus: Cavitermes — 5 species
Distribution
- Distribution records: Brazil, French Guiana, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Guyana, Ecuador, Venezuela
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
Morphology
A species-level description from the original literature has not yet been compiled for this page. Original description: Emerson, 1925. See the genus page for the genus-level description; this page will be updated after the original text is checked.
Distribution map
Aggregated from GBIF occurrence records on a 1° grid; only extant taxa of this checklist are used, so fossil records are excluded. Dot size and shade show the number of records inside a cell.
Related papers
Cached papers for this genus (matched automatically, for reference); to search this species with its junior synonyms merged in, use the literature search.
- Asexual queen succession in soil-feeding termites (Cavitermes tuberosus)
Abstract
info:eu-repo/semantics/published
- Facultative asexual reproduction and genetic diversity of populations in the humivorous termite Cavitermes tuberosus
Abstract
Termite colonies are typically founded by a pair of sexually reproducing dispersers, which can sometimes be replaced by some of their offspring. Some Reticulitermes and Embiratermes species routinely practice asexual queen succession (AQS): the queen is replaced by neotenic daughters produced by parthenogenesis, which mate with the primary king. Here, to cast light on the evolution of AQS, we investigated another candidate species, Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitinae). Of 95 nests, 39 contained a primary queen and 28 contained neotenic females (2-667 individuals), usually with the primary king. Microsatellite analyses confirmed that colonies were initiated by single pairs after large dispersal flights. More than 80% of the neotenic females were of exclusively maternal origin and completely homozygous, suggesting automictic parthenogenesis with gamete duplication. Conversely, workers, soldiers, and most alates and primary reproductives were produced sexually. AQS often occurs late, after colonies have reached maturity, whereas early AQS in other species may boost the young colony's growth rate. We suggest additional benefits of AQS in C. tuberosus, related with a smaller size, lesser stability and higher mobility of colonies. Our data add to the phylogenetical dispersion and diversity of modalities of AQS in termites, supporting a multiple evolutionary origin of this process.
- Secondary queens in the parthenogenetic termite Cavitermes tuberosus develop through a transitional helper stage
Abstract
In termite species with asexual queen succession (AQS), parthenogenetically produced immatures mostly differentiate into secondary queens, called "neotenics." In order to elucidate the ontogenetic origin of neotenics in Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitidae: Termitinae), a neotropical termite with AQS, we investigated developmental pathways of offspring according to their sex and genetic origin using both morphometric and genetic tools. The caste system of C. tuberosus follows the classical pathway of Termitidae. After the first larval instar, there is a bifurcation between two developmental lines. The apterous line is composed of a second larval instar, several worker instars, presoldiers, and soldiers. Workers display a consistent male bias and soldiers are female-only. The nymphal line is composed of five nymphal instars and the imago stage. We highlight that neotenic queens derive from third and fourth instar nymphs displaying peculiar morphological traits, here termed "aspirants," most of which are produced by parthenogenesis. Aspirants are present in all nests and perform worker tasks while waiting for the queen's death to differentiate into neotenic queens. Aspirants can successfully be used to demonstrate the occurrence of parthenogenesis in termite species whose reproductive cores are difficult to access.
Papers on this species, synonyms included → OpenAlex Google Scholar CNKI
Abstracts come from open metadata; copyright remains with the original authors/publishers. For reference only — please check the original.
Other species in Cavitermes (4 species)
Cite this species
Citation strings are generated from the fields of this page; please keep the DOI and the version number when citing.
GB/T 7714
班奈特格林. Extant Isoptera (termites): a checklist of Latin and Chinese names: Cavitermes tuberosus 肉瘤腔白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/cavitermes-tuberosus/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_cavitermes_tuberosus_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Cavitermes tuberosus: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/cavitermes-tuberosus/},
note = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Cavitermes tuberosus: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/cavitermes-tuberosus/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -