Constrictotermes cyphergaster 弯肠缩白蚁
- Type locality
- Brasil: Mato Grosso do Sul: Ladário, Urucum [19.155S 57.631W]; Mato Grosso: Cuiabá, Coxipó (district) [15.627S 56.058W]
- Distribution
- Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia
List： English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Constrictotermes cyphergaster is a species and the type species of the genus Constrictotermes, in the family TERMITIDAE (subfamily Nasutitermitinae). The species was described by Silvestri in 1901; the type locality is Brasil: Mato Grosso do Sul: Ladário, Urucum [19.155S 57.631W]; Mato Grosso: Cuiabá, Coxipó (district) [15.627S 56.058W]. Distribution: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia.
Etymology
Genus name Constrictotermes: From Latin constrictus (constricted) + termes.
Specific epithet cyphergaster: Greek kryptos (hidden) + gastēr (belly), hidden-bellied
Taxonomic position
- Family: TERMITIDAE — 280 genera, 2144 species
- Subfamily: Nasutitermitinae — 81 genera, 606 species
- Genus: Constrictotermes — 6 species
Distribution
- Distribution records: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia
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: Silvestri, 1901. See the genus page for the genus-level description; this page will be updated after the original text is checked.
Photos 11 photos
Freely licensed photos, click to enlarge. Hotlinked from iNaturalist / Wikimedia Commons; the rights stay with the photographers — author, licence and source page are shown under each photo. Only the first 6 are shown here; the rest are under “All photos” at the end of the page.
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.
- Seasonality in foraging behaviour of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil
Abstract
- The Amazonian forest termite (Isoptera: Termitidae) (Constrictotermes cavifrons) feeds on microepiphytes.
Abstract
- Richness of Lichens Consumed by Constrictotermes cyphergaster in the Semi-arid Region of Brazil
Abstract
The consumption of lichens by Constrictotermes cyphergaster termites is suggested in the literature, but not yet with concrete evidence. We examined the use and richness of lichens consumed by C. cyphergaster during both the dry and rainy seasons in a semiarid environment in northeastern Brazil by monitoring the foraging of five termite colonies for ten consecutive days during each period. Twenty-nine species of corticolous lichens were consumed by C. cyphergaster, with seasonal variations in the richness of their ingestion. Chrysothrix xanthine, Pertusaria flavens, and Dirinaria confluens were the lichen species most consumed. TLC analyzes of termite gut contents revealed twelve secondary lichen compounds ingested in both seasons, while staining showed fragments of fungal hyphae, green algae, and typical lichen spores. This study represents the first systematic survey of the abundances of lichens that compose the diet of C. cyphergaster and indicates the seasonal selectivity of that resource related to the chemical compositions of the lichen stalks.
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.
Literature notes
Edited notes based on the original literature, not transcriptions. The source markers in each paragraph point to archived records in .sources; full citations are listed below.
Trail pheromone and obligate inquiline
Cristaldo et al. (2014) studied the trail-following behaviour of Constrictotermes cyphergaster and its obligate inquiline Inquilinitermes microcerus, and determined that the host trail pheromone consists of neocembrene and (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol; in choice experiments Constrictotermes cyphergaster preferred conspecific trail pheromone trails, whereas Inquilinitermes microcerus preferred heterospecific trails; in no-choice experiments with whole-body surface extracts, Constrictotermes cyphergaster showed no preference and Inquilinitermes microcerus clearly avoided heterospecific trails.
Lichen feeding
In a survey of five colonies in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil, each monitored for ten consecutive days in the dry and in the rainy season, Barbosa-Silva et al. (2019) found that Constrictotermes cyphergaster consumed 29 species of corticolous lichens, with seasonal variation in the richness ingested; the three most consumed species were Chrysothrix xanthina, Pertusaria flavens and Dirinaria confluens.
The same study detected twelve secondary lichen compounds in the gut contents of Constrictotermes cyphergaster by thin-layer chromatography; lichens were ingested in both seasons, and the richness of lichen species consumed differed between the dry and the rainy season.
References
- Cristaldo, P. F. et al. 2014. Mutual use of trail-following chemical cues by a termite host and its inquiline. PLoS ONE.
- Barbosa-Silva, A. M., Silva, A. C., Pereira, E. C., Buril, M. L. L., Silva, N. H., Cáceres, M. E. S., Aptroot, A. & Bezerra-Gusmão, M. A. (2019). Richness of lichens consumed by Constrictotermes cyphergaster in the semi-arid region of Brazil. Sociobiology, 66(1), 154–160.
Other species in Constrictotermes (5 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: Constrictotermes cyphergaster 弯肠缩白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/constrictotermes-cyphergaster/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_constrictotermes_cyphergaster_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Constrictotermes cyphergaster: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/constrictotermes-cyphergaster/},
note = {TERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Constrictotermes cyphergaster: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/constrictotermes-cyphergaster/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -