| Nasutitermitinae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Natusitermes coniger | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Infraorder: | Isoptera |
| Family: | Termitidae |
| Subfamily: | Nasutitermitinae Hare [1] |
| Genera | |
|
see text | |
The Nasutitermitinae is a cosmopolitan subfamily of higher termites that includes more than 80 genera.[2] They are most recognisable by the more highly derived soldier caste which exhibits vestigial mandibles and a protruding fontanellar process on the head from which they can "shoot" chemical weaponry. True workers of certain genera within this subfamily also exhibit a visible epicranial y suture, most notably found within the members of Nasutitermes. Notable genera include the notorious wood-eating Nasutitermes, and the conspicuous Hospitalitermes and Constrictotermes, both genera characterized by their behavior of forming large open-air foraging trails.
- ^ Hare L (1937). Termite phylogeny as evidenced by soldier mandible development. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 37(3): 459–486.
- ^ Engel, M.S. (2011). "Family-group names for termites (Isoptera), redux". ZooKeys (148): 171–184. Bibcode:2011ZooK..148..171E. doi:10.3897/zookeys.148.1682. PMC 3264418. PMID 22287896.