Reticulitermes flavipes 北美散白蚁
- Type locality
- Austria: Schönbrunn
- Distribution
- eastern North America, eastern United States, southeastern Canada, introduced to Europe through trade, Guatemala, Austria, Bahamas, Chile, France, Germany, Uruguay
List： English (genus page) · 中文 · Español
Summary
Reticulitermes flavipes is a species and the type species of the genus Reticulitermes, in the family HETEROTERMITIDAE. The species was described by Kollar in 1837; the type locality is Austria: Schönbrunn. Distribution: eastern North America, eastern United States, southeastern Canada, introduced to Europe through trade, Guatemala, Austria, Bahamas, Chile, France, Germany, Uruguay. This site records 3 junior synonyms for the species.
Etymology
Genus name Reticulitermes: From Latin reticulum (little net) + termes.
Specific epithet flavipes: From flavi + pes
Taxonomic position
- Family: HETEROTERMITIDAE — 3 genera, 229 species
- Genus: Reticulitermes — 140 species
Distribution
- Distribution records: eastern North America, eastern United States, southeastern Canada, introduced to Europe through trade, Guatemala, Austria, Bahamas, Chile, France, Germany, Uruguay
The record above follows the wording of the original data; no geocoding or standardized place names have been applied.
Junior synonyms
This site records 3 junior synonyms for the species, listed by their original literature source:
- Termes frontalis Haldeman, 1844: 55 — type locality: United States: Pennsylvania
- Reticulitermes claripennis Banks, 1920: 47 — type locality: United States: Texas: Beaumont
- Reticulitermes flavipes santonensis Feytaud, 1950: 380-381 — type locality: France: La Rochelle
In older literature, regional checklists and database searches, this species may appear under the synonyms above (Termes frontalis, Reticulitermes claripennis, Reticulitermes flavipes santonensis); this site treats them all under Reticulitermes flavipes.
Morphology
A species-level description from the original literature has not yet been compiled for this page. Original description: Kollar, 1837. See the genus page for the genus-level description; this page will be updated after the original text is checked.
Photos 120 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.
- 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.
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.
2005 synonymy based on 16S rRNA
According to the abstract, Austin et al. (2005) used the 16S rRNA mitochondrial marker to analyse 434 Reticulitermes populations from North, Central and South America, France and Germany, and found that Reticulitermes flavipes from North America and Germany shares completely identical DNA sequences with Reticulitermes santonensis (an old name in Reticulitermes) from undisturbed woodland in western France; haplotypes F, M and GG occur in France, F also occurs in Germany, and GG also occurs on Easter Island, in Santiago de Chile and in Montevideo, Uruguay. Combining morphological, chemical and phylogenetic evidence, the authors concluded that Reticulitermes santonensis should be treated as a synonym of Reticulitermes flavipes.
References
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 flaviceps
- 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 flavipes 北美散白蚁[EB/OL]. Version 2026.10.30. https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/reticulitermes-flavipes/. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836.
BibTeX
@misc{isoptera_reticulitermes_flavipes_2026,
author = {班奈特格林},
title = {Reticulitermes flavipes: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites)},
year = {2026},
version = {2026.10.30},
howpublished = {https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/reticulitermes-flavipes/},
note = {HETEROTERMITIDAE; version 2026.10.30; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23646836},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23646836}
}
RIS
TY - ELEC TI - Reticulitermes flavipes: a checklist of extant Isoptera (termites) AU - 班奈特格林 PY - 2026 UR - https://termite-extant-isoptera.org/en/species/reticulitermes-flavipes/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23646836 ER -