Kalotermitidae

Kalotermitidae (drywood termites), are a basal family with a roughly cosmopolitan circumtropical distribution. With 21 genera and 419 species, it is the second most diverse termite family after the Termitidae. The majority of members are functionally specialists of sound wood - though not necessarily dry wood. Hence, while not all Kalotermitidae taxa are commonly referred to as drywood termites, the name is commonly used to refer to the family itself. The family contains notable pest taxa such as Cryptotermes brevis and Incisitermes minor.

== Description == Kalotermitidae vary significantly in size (3mm - 20mm), however all castes possess pronotums as wide or wider than the head, often flatly arched; a morphology atypical to extant termites except for the alates of Mastotermes and thus characteristic of the family. Workers and soldiers are often compact or tubular in general appearance. The legs of Kalotermitidae possess a tarsal formula of 4-4-4, each leg possessing three tibial spurs. Similar to Mastotermitidae, the 1st and 2nd marginal teeth of the worker/imago mandibles are fused, leaving 3 distinct teeth including the apical. Typical to basal termites, individuals have a short flat clypeus. Due to a lack of overall morphological variation within the group, Kalotermitidae are very difficult to identify among each other even at the genus level, without access to the soldier caste or wing venation of the alates.