Coastal Florida Dampwood Termite
Neotermes jouteli
This record describes Neotermes jouteli (species). Recorded family: Kalotermitidae. Recorded order: Blattodea.
Identification and Appearance
Neotermes jouteli is a species of Neotropical termite in the family Kalotermitidae which is native to South Florida and surrounding West Indian nations. N. jouteli is the largest species of termite in Florida with soldiers reaching a maximum length of 13.35 mm and the winged alates around 16.05 mm.
Wikipedia reference for Neotermes jouteli: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neotermes_jouteli.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Blattodea (Cockroaches and Termites)
- Superfamily
- Blattoidea
- Family
- Kalotermitidae (Drywood and Dampwood Termites)
- Genus
- Neotermes (Dampwood Termites)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Cockroaches and Termites: the wider group
Order-level background for Blattodea, the group containing Neotermes jouteli. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Blattodea includes ~4,600 cockroach species and ~3,000 termite species. Only about 30 cockroach species are associated with human habitats - less than 1% of all species.
Ecological role of the group
Termites contribute ~40% of soil arthropod biomass globally, far exceeding ants at ~10%. Cockroaches are ancient insects dating back 320 million years and are critical decomposers in tropical forest ecosystems, recycling leaf litter and dead wood.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Termites cause $5-30 billion in damage to structures in the U.S. annually. They damage approximately 600,000 American homes each year, with average repair costs of $3,000-$17,000. A subterranean termite colony can consume one pound of wood per day.
Recorded sources for this group: USDA, Orkin, Today's Homeowner, PNAS soil biomass study. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Coastal Florida Dampwood Termite (2)
Photo credits: (c) Soren Hines, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Soren Hines | (c) Lucas Garriga, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Lucas Garriga | (c) Joe MDO, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe MDO | (c) Bardusquus, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) | Contributed by Zhao J