Insect attack (Termites)
Introduction
The isoptera (isoptera, from the Greek ισός isós, 'equal', and πτερον pteron, 'wing'; 'equal wings') are an infraorder of neopteran insects, known as termites,[1] termes,[2] turiros,[3] commenes,[4] moths,[5] sepes,[6] anayes,[7] termites,[8] and also as white ants,[9] due to their superficial resemblance to ants, with which they are not evolutionarily related, since the latter are hymenoptera. They are closely related to cockroaches, since termites evolved from a group of cockroaches that inhabited the Earth during the Carboniferous and Permian periods, so they are currently classified in the same order.[10].
Until recently, termites were classified in the order Isoptera, but were later accepted as an infraorder of the order Blattodea and in the suborder Blattoidea along with their closest relatives the cockroaches of the genus Cryptocercus and the family Blattidae. They have even been degraded further, to the superfamily "Family (biology)") Termitoidea, according to some authors.[11].
Its scientific name refers to the fact that adult termites have two pairs of wings of equal size. They are a group of social insects that build nests (termite mounds). Termites feed on the cellulose contained in wood and its derivatives, which they degrade thanks to the action of the protozoa of their digestive system "Digestive system (insects)"), with which they live in symbiosis. Most termites are from tropical or subtropical climates, but a few live in temperate climates. About 3000 species are known, six of which have been introduced to other regions as urban pests.
Generalities
Termites are abundant and diverse in South America, Africa and Australia particularly in lowland tropical forests and savannahs. Many species build colonies in the form of mounds and many others are arboreal or live underground. Mound-building termites remove large amounts of soil in hard, infertile soils, contributing to the emergence of small plants that can reach the size of shrubs and small trees. In southwest Africa, some scientists attribute the ability to modify vegetation to produce fairy circles to termites of the families Hodotermitidae and Rhinotermitidae.[13].