Reticulitermes flaviceps 黄胸散白蚁
- Type locality
- Taiwan: ?
- Distribution
- southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam
List： English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Reticulitermes flaviceps is a species of the genus Reticulitermes, in the family HETEROTERMITIDAE. The species was described by Oshima in 1911; the type locality is Taiwan: ?. Distribution: southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam.
Etymology
Genus name Reticulitermes: From Latin reticulum (little net) + termes.
Specific epithet flaviceps: From flavi + ceps
Taxonomic position
- Family: HETEROTERMITIDAE — 3 genera, 229 species
- Genus: Reticulitermes — 140 species
- Type species of the genus: Reticulitermes flavipes
Distribution
- Distribution records: southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
Recorded in Fauna Sinica
The morphological and biological accounts below are taken from Fauna Sinica and related literature; only structure and punctuation have been standardized here.
Morphology
Soldier
Head yellowish brown, mandibles purplish brown, the pilosity of the head capsule rather sparse. The head capsule is rectangular, the head width index 0.60–0.71, the sides nearly parallel and slightly diverging posteriorly, the posterior margin broadly rounded. The frontal ridge is slightly raised, the interfrontal area nearly flat. The labrum is spear-shaped, its apex passing from narrowly rounded to sharply rounded, with apical, subapical and lateral-apical hairs all present. The mandibles are sabre-shaped, the mandibular body rather straight, the apex of the right mandible almost not curved, that of the left mandible slightly curved, their length 0.59 of the head capsule length and 0.93 of the head width. Antennae with 16 segments. The broad region of the postmentum lies at the anterior one-fifth, the anterolateral margins nearly trapezoidal, the waist region rather broad with the two sides in a broad arc, the waist constriction index 0.36–0.44. The pronotum is about 1.57 times as wide as long, the anterior margin formed by two broad intersecting arcs and shallowly concave at the middle, the posterior margin nearly straight with the middle slightly concave, the lateral margins like an inverted trapezium, with more than twenty hairs in the middle region.
Alate
Worker
Nymph
Abstract (from the source)
The soldier is yellowish brown with purple brown mandibles and rather sparse head hairs. The head is rectangular, index 0.60 to 0.71, with nearly parallel sides widening behind and a broadly rounded hind margin. Frontal peaks are low. The labrum is spear-shaped, its tip narrowly to sharply rounded. Mandibles are sabre-like, the right tip almost straight, the left slightly curved. Antennae have 16 segments. The pronotum is about 1.57 times wider than long, its sides inverted-trapezoidal, with some 20 hairs.
Biology
Distribution and locality
Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Hainan.
Taxonomic notes
The genus name is defective in the original work, printed as Reticuliter mes; it is in fact the genus Reticulitermes, the same genus name as currently used on this site.
Source: Huang Fusheng et al. (2000), Fauna Sinica, Insecta vol. 17, Isoptera, Science Press. (entry no. 167 in the original work) Entries are cited by their number in the original work.
Photos 2 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.
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.
- Genetic Evidence for the Synonymy of Two Reticulitermes Species: Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes santonensis
Abstract
By applying the 16S rRNA mitochondrial marker to 434 populations of Reticulitermes termites from North, Central, and South America; France; and Germany with other locations around the world that we have analyzed, identical DNA sequence data were obtained from Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) in North America and Germany and for Reticulitermes santonensis Feytaud from undisturbed (nonurban) forested locations in western France. We also discovered identical DNA sequence data from previously unidentified Reticulitermes specimens from South America and Easter Island. Haplotypes F, M, and GG were observed in France; haplotype F in Germany; and haplotype GG was found on Easter Island, Santiago, Chile, and Montevideo, Uruguay. All of these haplotypes are found in numerous states within the continental United States. In light of their well documented morphological, chemical, and phylogenetic relationships, coupled with this new data that directly link these disjunct groups, R. flavipes and R. santonensis should be synonymized. Compared with other studies that largely suggest phyletic similarities, this is the first study that specifically matches haplotypes from North America (where populations of R. flavipes are endemic) with populations in Europe (where R. flavipes, described as R. santonensis, is presumed exotic).
- An indirect test of inbreeding depression in the termites Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes virginicus
Abstract
- Phylogenetic relationships of nearctic Reticulitermes species (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) with particular reference to Reticulitermes arenincola Goellner
Abstract
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 Reticulitermes (139 species)
- Reticulitermes aculabialis
- Reticulitermes aegeus
- Reticulitermes affinis
- Reticulitermes altus
- Reticulitermes amamianus
- Reticulitermes ampliceps
- Reticulitermes ancyleus
- Reticulitermes angustatus
- Reticulitermes angusticephalus
- Reticulitermes arenincola
- Reticulitermes assamensis
- Reticulitermes aurantius
- Reticulitermes balkanensis
- Reticulitermes banyulensis
- Reticulitermes bicristatus
- Reticulitermes bitumulus
- Reticulitermes brachygnathus
- Reticulitermes brevicurvatus
- Reticulitermes cancrifemuris
- Reticulitermes castanus
- Reticulitermes chayuensis
- Reticulitermes chinensis
- Reticulitermes choui
- Reticulitermes chryseus
- Reticulitermes citrinus
- Reticulitermes clypeatus
- Reticulitermes coelceps
- Reticulitermes conus
- Reticulitermes croceus
- Reticulitermes curticeps
- Reticulitermes curvatus
- Reticulitermes cymbidii
- Reticulitermes dabieshanensis
- Reticulitermes dantuensis
- Reticulitermes dayongensis
- Reticulitermes dinghuensis
- Reticulitermes emei
- Reticulitermes fengduensis
- Reticulitermes flavipes
- Reticulitermes fukienensis
139 species in this genus. See all species on the genus page →
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: Reticulitermes flaviceps 黄胸散白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/reticulitermes-flaviceps/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_reticulitermes_flaviceps_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Reticulitermes flaviceps: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/reticulitermes-flaviceps/},
note = {HETEROTERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Reticulitermes flaviceps: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/reticulitermes-flaviceps/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -