10 August 2019 Temperature Preference of Two Invasive Subterranean Termite Species and Their Hybrids (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermes)
Jayshree S. Patel, Thomas Chouvenc, Nan-Yao Su
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Abstract

Temperature preference of two invasive subterranean termites, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), and their hybrids were determined in a horizontal thermal gradient. The activity of workers of four mating combinations: ♀C. gestroi × ♂C. gestroi (C. gestroi), ♀C. formosanus × ♂C. formosanus (C. formosanus), ♀C. gestroi × ♂C. formosanus (Hybrid G), and ♀C. formosanus × ♂C. gestroi (Hybrid F), when placed on the temperature gradients were videotaped and analyzed to determine the mean temperature preference values (mTPV). The temperature ranges for active termites were 21.9–39.5°C for C. gestroi, 11.1–39.5°C for C. formosanus, 25.3–38.2°C for Hybrid G, and 24.9–39.3°C for Hybrid F. There was no significant difference in the mTPV of C. gestroi and both hybrid mating combinations. The mTPV of both Hybrid G and Hybrid F was significantly higher than the parental species C. formosanus. Our results indicate that hybrid populations of C. formosanus and C. gestroi might be more active in tropical than temperate regions, and if established in temperate regions, they will be more active in summer months when the mean temperature exceeds 25°C.

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Jayshree S. Patel, Thomas Chouvenc, and Nan-Yao Su "Temperature Preference of Two Invasive Subterranean Termite Species and Their Hybrids (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermes)," Journal of Economic Entomology 112(6), 2888-2893, (10 August 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz210
Received: 15 May 2019; Accepted: 1 July 2019; Published: 10 August 2019
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KEYWORDS
Coptotermes formosanus
Coptotermes gestroi
hybridization
temperature tolerance
thermal gradient
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