Termite

Termites are eusocial insects that feed on rotting plant matter, including wood, fallen leaves, and soil humus. They have beaded antennae and a soft, pale worker caste that has earned them the nickname “white ants,” but they are actually highly specialized cockroaches—genetically closer to certain cockroach groups than those groups are to other cockroaches. Around 2,997 living species have been described, with the vast majority (2,125) belonging to the family Termitidae. They are classified as the infraorder Isoptera (or epifamily Termitoidae) within the order Blattodea, which includes cockroaches. Termites were once placed in their own order, but 21st‑century genetic studies show they evolved from within the cockroach lineage, with the wood‑eating cockroach genus *Cryptocercus* as their closest relative. Earlier estimates placed their divergence in the Jurassic or Triassic, but more recent work points to the Late Jurassic, with fossils from that period.

Termite colonies are often called superorganisms because the individuals work together as a self‑governing whole. Colony sizes range from a few hundred to several million members. Most species lead hidden lives, spending almost all their time inside the tunnels and chambers of their nests. Like ants, some bees, and some wasps, termite colonies have worker and soldier castes made up mostly of sterile individuals that look and behave differently from one another. But unlike ants, termite colonies typically start with a single king and queen that stay together as a lifelong monogamous pair. Also unlike ants, termites undergo incomplete metamorphosis—egg, nymph, and adult—just like other cockroaches.

Termites have spread to nearly every landmass on Earth, with the highest diversity in the tropics. In some tropical regions, especially Africa—home to over 1,000 described species—they may make up 10% of the animal biomass. They are crucial decomposers of dead plant material in subtropical and tropical areas, recycling wood and leaf litter. Many species are ecosystem engineers: their large mounds alter soil properties like hydrology, decomposition, nutrient cycling, and plant growth, which in turn affects surrounding biodiversity.

Termites affect humans in several ways. Some cultures, such as the Makiritare in Venezuela’s Alto Orinoco province, eat them as a delicacy or use them as a spice.