X-ray tomographic analysis of the initial structure of the royal chamber and the nest-founding behavior of the drywood termite Incisitermes minor

Abstract

The nesting biology of the drywood termite, Incisitermes minor, is poorly understood. To date, no published data are available regarding the in situ nestgallery development of I. minor. Three naturally infested Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong. Carriere) timbers were analyzed by X-ray computer tomography to observe the structure of the first royal chamber and the termite's nestfounding behavior. One timber was infested by a group of termites which emerged from their natal nest. The other two timbers were infested by dealate reproductives from the nuptial flight. The study revealed that the drywood termite engages in outside foraging activity and has great foraging flexibility. Computer tomographic images also revealed that I. minor reproductives showed anatomical selectivity in their nest-founding activity. The structure of the initial royal chambers varied to follow the anatomical texture of the timbers, which resembled either a European pear shape or a cashew nut shape.

Evaluation of larval growth process and bamboo consumption of the bamboo powder-post beetle Dinoderus minutus using X-ray computed tomography

“…X-ray CT has also been used to detect termite or beetle damage in wood [6][7][8][9][10]. For example, X-ray CT was used to visualize the gallery system of two drywood termite species, Cryptotermes secundus [6] and Incisitermes minor [7], and the oak platypodid beetle Platypus quercivorus [8] developed in wood. It was also used to image the bodies of the Asian longhorn beetle Anophophora glabripennis [9] and the anobiid beetle Priobium cylindricum [10] in wood.…”

Modern termites inherited the potential of collective construction from their common ancestor

“…These simple structures are present across all termite species, including in most Kalotermitidae (Emerson, 1938; Wilkinson, 1962). For example, colony founders of Incisitermes minor seal the entrance of royal chamber with barricade made of cement feces (Himmi et al., 2014). The behavioral mechanism for barricade construction might be homologous to that of shelter tube construction.…”

When social behaviour is moulded in clay: on growth and form of social insect nests

“…The non-invasive character of X-ray tomography was fully exploited by Halley et al (2005), who followed with repeated scans the development of nests dug by Argentine ants in sand over a period of months, and by Himmi et al (2016), who studied the 3D structure of the nest-gallery system of the termite Incisitermes minor in naturally infested timbers. While the resolution of medical X-ray tomography is usually limited to the millimetre scale (depending on acquisition parameters), it is also possible to achieve much better resolutions, of the order of 50 µm, by using micro-tomography.…”