白蟻

Also known as Isoptera, Termite, termites, isopterans

蜚蠊目真社会性昆虫

OverviewAI-generated

Isoptera, commonly known as termites, is a taxon classified as a suborder or infraorder within the parent taxon Blattodea. The group is a subclass of social insects and includes common names such as termitter and termita. The taxon originated approximately 251 million years ago. It is distinct from thermite.

The Eastern Subterranean Termite is a species within this group, categorized under the iconic taxon Insecta. This species is not extinct and has recorded 11,345 observations on iNaturalist. The topic is featured in the Commons category Isoptera and is listed on the Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4 focus list. It is referenced by 1,642 other encyclopedia articles and has been described in the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition.

Synthesized by Vinony from 22 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, iNaturalist, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Eastern Subterranean Termite

species

Observations11,345

Figures 1–7.Sinqasapatermes sachae 1 soldier head in dorsal view 2 soldier head in profile 3 worker head in dorsal view 4 worker head in profile 5 worker left mandible in dorsal view 6 worker right mandible, showing molar plate in frontal view 7 worker right mandible in dorsal view.

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Research

4,574 papers

Termite evolution: mutualistic associations, key innovations, and the rise of Termitidae.ReviewCellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2021Chouvenc T, Šobotník J, Engel MS et al.DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03728-z
Ant-termite interactions: an important but under-explored ecological linkage.ReviewBiological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2020Tuma J, Eggleton P, Fayle TMDOI: 10.1111/brv.12577
Process and mechanism of termite impact on soil and plant.ReviewYing yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology · 2024Jiang C, Zeng XL, Jin YQ et al.DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202409.028
Termite Detection Techniques in Embankment Maintenance: Methods and Trends.ReviewSensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Li X, Zhang X, Dong S et al.DOI: 10.3390/s25144404
Termite-engineered microbial communities of termite nest structures: a new dimension to the extended phenotype.ReviewFEMS microbiology reviews · 2022Li H, Greening CDOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuac034
Termite's potential in solid waste management in Himachal Pradesh: A mini review.ReviewWaste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA · 2021Sharma R, Kaur R, Rana N et al.DOI: 10.1177/0734242X20957394
Cooperation and conflict in termite societies.ReviewCurrent opinion in insect science · 2025Korb JDOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2025.101401
Termite dispersal is influenced by their diet.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2022Hellemans S, Šobotník J, Lepoint G et al.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0246

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Subclass of: social insect
Parent taxon: Blattodea
Image: Coptotermes formosanus shiraki USGov k8204-7.jpg

Show 9 more facts

taxon name: Isoptera
taxon rank: infraorder
Commons category: Isoptera
topic's main category: Category:Termites
start time: 251000000-
different from: thermite
taxon common name: termita
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
name: ꠃꠟ

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

Article · 中文

白蟻亦稱螱（wèi），臺灣及香港將白蟻的有翅型俗稱大水蟻，為蜚蠊目等翅下目（学名：Isoptera）昆蟲的總稱，屬於真社會性昆蟲。白蟻雖然名為「白蟻」，但牠們並非「白色的螞蟻」。白蟻舊時分類位階為等翅目，但近期系統發生學證據顯示白蟻為蜚蠊目，姊妹群為隱尾蠊屬（Cryptocercus ），現降級為蜚蠊目等翅下目或白蟻上科（学名：Termitoidae）。共有超過3,000個物種，可見於熱帶及亞熱帶地區，可分為12個科，其中3個科已滅絕。以前的研究認為白蟻起源於侏罗紀或三疊紀，但近期研究認為其起源於白堊紀，最早的白蟻化石年代為白堊紀中期。白蟻為不完全變態，生活史包括卵、若蟲、成蟲，可分為多個階級，有不具生殖能力的工蟻和兵蟻，和具有生殖能力的蟻王蟻后。大部分白蟻取食死亡的植物組織，和含有纖維素的木材、落葉、土壤或動物糞便。白蟻的群體大小因物種而異，個體數量少至百隻內，多至數百萬。蟻后的壽命乃昆蟲之最，有紀錄顯示蟻后能活30至50年。除了南極洲以外，白蟻的足跡遍布全球，熱帶與亞熱帶地區的白蟻豐富度和多樣性最高，白蟻能分解木材和植物組織，是生態系統中不可或缺的一員。白蟻在某些文化中是美食，也被用於傳統療法。數百種白蟻是經濟害蟲，會危害建築、作物和森林，有些物種是世界廣布的入侵種，如西印度乾木白蟻（Cryptotermes brevis）。

Abstract from DBpedia / Wikipedia · CC BY-SA