Social polymorphism and gut desing in “higher termites” : a case study in neotropical termitinae

Abstract

The main structure and detailed characteristics of the digestive tube of termites are known for many genera from the Neotropical and other biogeographical regions, due to its functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic relevance. However, there are only some studies on the intraspecifíc intestinal differences derived from the social polymorphism and their relationships with the nutritional ecology of each species. Within higher termites (Termitidae), the Termitinae subfamily is probably paraphyletic and comprises various genera of uncertain affinities with different nesting and nutritional habits, whose soldiers have symmetric or asymmetric mandibles. In this chapter, the functional morphology of the digestive tube of ten species belonging to seven genera of neotropical Termitinae was analyzed, with the aim of characterizing and comparing the configuration of individuáis from different castes. Also, the relationships among the observed structures and their ecological significance in relation to the substrates consumed by each species and the feeding mode of each caste were analyzed.