Syntermes

Syntermes is a genus of large Neotropical higher termites within the subfamily Syntermitinae. The genus is found only in South America where members are distributed widely throughout the continent, being found from the tropical rainforests of Colombia to the savannas of Brazil and Northern Argentina.

Most known species forage in the open and collect either leaf or grass litter which is stored in subterranean chambers for later consumption. The nests are primarily subterranean with epigeal mound structures built from loose dirt of varying compactness. Some species, such as Syntermes dirus, construct highly impressive mounds with the most well known being found in a large complex of mounds spanning an area the size of Great Britain in northeastern Brazil. The mounds in this complex average 2.5 meters tall and 9 meters wide and are estimated to be as old as 4,000 years. Large species such as Syntermes aculeosus are eaten in some indigenous cultures; for example in the Makiritare in the Alto Orinoco province of Venezuela, where they fish the soldiers out via a stick. A few species are known to cause some damage to cultivated plants like young Eucalyptus, peanuts, sugarcane and yams.