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title: "What the sources say about the Mound-Building Termite | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "51 claims from the Mound-Building Termite profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Mound-Building Termite (*Macrotermes bellicosus*)

> 51 claims from the Mound-Building Termite profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Mound-Building Termite](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/mound-building-termite/)

## Elsner, Meusemann & Korb (2018). Longevity and transposon defense, the case of termite reproductives. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1804046115

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Queens and kings are known to live as long as 20 years in the lab | Queens and kings are known to live as long as 20 y in the laboratory (note: Methods, about the M. bellicosus queens and kings studied) |
| workers live only a few months | workers have a lifespan of only a few months |
| Queens and kings that can live as long as 20 years | This species has one of the highest longevity skews (80–120 fold) of all social insects, with queens and kings living as long as 20 y (note: stats.superpower; species scope) |
| Not Evaluated | Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman, 1781) (note: stats.conservationStatus: no quoted page says Not Evaluated. GBIF and Crossref list no Red List assessment for M. bellicosus or its synonyms (prefetch found none; the Crossref synonym searches returned HTTP 429).) |
| Queens of its genus, Macrotermes, are specialized egg-layers that produce about 20,000 eggs a day | Macrotermes queens are specialized egg-layers that produce ca. 20,000 eggs per day (note: genus scope, as the source words it; 'ca.' = about) |
| Given how long they live, the researchers call them probably the most fecund terrestrial animals | Given their long lifespan, they are probably the most fecund terrestrial animals. |
| In one wild study population in Ivory Coast, a colony's median life expectancy once its mound appears is 6 years | in the study population, the median lifetime expectancy after reaching the epigeal mound phase is 6 y (note: 'epigeal mound' = above-ground mound; wild: 'sampled from field colonies'; Ivory Coast: see the Kakpin claim) |
| Army ants that kill whole colonies are the major cause of chance deaths there once colonies are established | common occurrence of army ants that kill complete colonies and function as the major cause of random extrinsic mortality after colonies are established |
| Workers are completely sterile | Whereas workers are completely sterile |
| There are two worker castes, called majors and minors | bellicosus has two worker castes, majors and minors |
| Minors mostly work indoors, caring for young and building the mound | Minor workers are mainly involved in “indoor” tasks, such as brood care and constructing mounds |
| They are female and can develop into soldiers | they are females and can develop into soldiers |
| Majors are male and generally do the more dangerous jobs, like foraging for food | Major workers have a higher random extrinsic mortality already early in life, as they generally do the more dangerous tasks like foraging for food; they are males |
| army ants kill complete colonies and are the major cause of random deaths after colonies are established | common occurrence of army ants that kill complete colonies and function as the major cause of random extrinsic mortality after colonies are established |
| the estimated median lifespan of 36 mounds | The median longevity after emergence of an epigeal mound in our study site was estimated with Kaplan–Meier survival analysis for 36 mounds |
| whose queens and kings can live as long as 20 years in the lab | Queens and kings are known to live as long as 20 y in the laboratory (note: tagline) |
| Two kinds of workers | bellicosus has two worker castes, majors and minors (note: heading) |
| while workers live only a few months | workers have a lifespan of only a few months |
| Ivory Coast | The M. bellicosus samples were collected in Kakpin, next to the Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire |
| A queen built for eggs | Macrotermes queens are specialized egg-layers (note: heading) |
| At Kakpin, next to the Comoé National Park | The M. bellicosus samples were collected in Kakpin, next to the Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire |
| 6 years after they emerged | in the study population, the median lifetime expectancy after reaching the epigeal mound phase is 6 y |
| while its workers live only a few months | workers have a lifespan of only a few months (note: tagline) |

## Hinze & Leuthold (1999). Age related polyethism and activity rhythms in the nest of the termite Macrotermes bellicosus (Isoptera, Termitidae). Insectes Sociaux.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s000400050162

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In a study that tracked marked workers, they moved from caring for the queen to foraging between day 13 and day 25 after their moult into adults for majors, and between day 9 and day 32 for minors | With increasing age the workers change from the care of the queen to foraging activity. This change of activity from tasks inside the nest to tasks outside the nest took place between day 13 and 25 after adult moult for major and between day 9 and 32 after adult moult for minor workers. (note: marked workers: 'investigated by using a newly developed marking method in combination with metal and photo detectors') |
| Their traffic to a foraging arena was highest at 20:00 in the evening and lowest at 7:00 in the morning | The overall activity to the foraging arena revealed a clear 24-h rhythm, with the highest activity in the evening at 20:00 h and the lowest activity in the morning at 7:00 h. |
| Workers change jobs as they age | With increasing age the workers change from the care of the queen to foraging activity |

## Korb & Linsenmair (1999). Reproductive success of Macrotermes bellicosus (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) in two neighbouring habitats. Oecologia.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050717

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| African savannah, where colonies reach high densities; rarer in forest, and only in relatively open areas | can reach high densities in African savannah habitats, whereas in forests it is comparatively rare and is only found in relatively open areas (note: stats.habitat) |
| a fungus-growing, mound-building termite from Africa | The fungus-cultivating, mound-building termite Macrotermes bellicosus can reach high densities in African savannah habitats |
| Colonies reach high densities in African savannah, while in forests they are comparatively rare and found only in relatively open areas | can reach high densities in African savannah habitats, whereas in forests it is comparatively rare and is only found in relatively open areas |
| savannah colonies reproduced annually, producing high numbers of offspring called alates | They reproduced annually, producing high numbers of offspring (alates) |
| Forest colonies reproduced on average only once every 3 years | forest colonies reproduced on average only once every 3 years |
| In a three-year study of both habitats | During 3 consecutive years we measured relevant fitness parameters in both habitats |

## Korb (2003). Thermoregulation and ventilation of termite mounds. Naturwissenschaften.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-002-0401-4

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Savannah mounds have a very efficient circular airflow during the day | mounds in the thermally appropriate savannah have a very efficient circular ventilation during the day |
| In the cooler forest, air moves upward less efficiently | the ventilation in the cooler forest is a less efficient upward movement of air |
| Savannah mounds have a very efficient circular airflow during the day | mounds in the thermally appropriate savannah have a very efficient circular ventilation during the day (note: vibe.reason animal clause; same quote as the body claim) |

## Korb & Linsenmair (1998). Experimental heating of Macrotermes bellicosus (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) mounds: what role does microclimate play in influencing mound architecture? Insectes Sociaux.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s000400050092

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| mounds in the cooler gallery forest are dome-shaped with thick walls | Mounds in the cooler, but thermally more stable gallery forest have been shown to be dome-shaped with thick walls |
| savannah mounds are more complex, with many ridges and thin walls | whereas mounds in the shrub savanna are more complex with many ridges and thin walls |
| Forest and savannah mounds | Mounds of the fungus-cultivating termite Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) in the Comoé-National Park (Ivory Coast, West Africa) differ in architecture between habitats (note: blockquote lead-in; the forest and savannah habitats compared in the next sentence) |
| In Ivory Coast's Comoé National Park | Mounds of the fungus-cultivating termite Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) in the Comoé-National Park (Ivory Coast, West Africa) differ in architecture between habitats |

## Ejomah, Uyi & Ekaye (2020). Exposure of the African mound building termite, Macrotermes bellicosus workers to commercially formulated 2,4-D and atrazine caused high mortality and impaired locomotor response. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230664

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A fungus-farming termite | Macrotermes bellicosus cultivate fungi of the genus Termitomyces (Termitomyceteae: Tricholomataceae: Basidiomycota) on special structures within the nest called fungus combs (note: tagline) |
| in a colony that grows its own fungus | Macrotermes bellicosus cultivate fungi of the genus Termitomyces (Termitomyceteae: Tricholomataceae: Basidiomycota) on special structures within the nest called fungus combs (note: stats.superpower) |
| Dead wood, grass litter and dung, with a Termitomyces fungus grown on fungus combs | The principal food source of M . bellicosus consists of dead wood, grass litter, and dung (note: stats.diet) |
| These termites grow a fungus of the genus Termitomyces on fungus combs inside the nest | Macrotermes bellicosus cultivate fungi of the genus Termitomyces (Termitomyceteae: Tricholomataceae: Basidiomycota) on special structures within the nest called fungus combs |
| The two live in an obligate mutualistic symbiosis | live in an obligate mutualistic symbiosis with the fungi |
| The termites' main food is dead wood, grass litter and dung | The principal food source of M . bellicosus consists of dead wood, grass litter, and dung |
| Their principal food source is dead wood, grass litter and dung | The principal food source of M . bellicosus consists of dead wood, grass litter, and dung |
| They also farm a fungus, Termitomyces, on special structures within the nest called fungus combs, and the two depend on each other | live in an obligate mutualistic symbiosis with the fungi |
| They also farm a fungus, Termitomyces, on special structures within the nest called fungus combs | Macrotermes bellicosus cultivate fungi of the genus Termitomyces (Termitomyceteae: Tricholomataceae: Basidiomycota) on special structures within the nest called fungus combs |
| Fungus farmers | Macrotermes bellicosus cultivate fungi of the genus Termitomyces (note: heading) |

## Kinyuru et al. (2013). Nutrient composition of four species of winged termites consumed in western Kenya. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2013.02.008

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In western Kenya, people eat winged termites of four species, including this one | Macrotermes subhylanus, Pseudacanthotermes militaris, Macrotermes bellicosus and Pseudacanthotermes spiniger termite species consumed in western Kenya |
| Across the four species, fat was 44.82 to 47.31 g per 100 g and protein 33.51 to 39.74 g per 100 g | The fat content was 44.82–47.31g/100g, protein 33.51–39.74g/100g |