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Foraging, nesting and damage caused by Microtermes subhyalinus (Isoptera: Termitidae) in a sugarcane plantation in the Central African Republic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

P. Mora ,
C. Rouland  and
J. Renoux
P. Mora*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie des Invertébrés, Université Paris XII Val de Marne, Créteil, France
C. Rouland
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie des Invertébrés, Université Paris XII Val de Marne, Créteil, France
J. Renoux
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie des Invertébrés, Université Paris XII Val de Marne, Créteil, France
*
Correspondence: P. Mora, Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie des Invertébrés, Université Paris XII Val de Marne, Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil cedex, France.
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Abstract

The ecology of Microtermes subhyalinus Silvestri in savanna and an adjoining sugarcane plantation in the Central African Republic is described. Other species of termites were associated with savanna and sugarcane but M. subhyalinus was the most prevalent and the only one causing damage to sugarcane. Damage to the crop by M. subhyalinus was assessed throughout the year. Termite attacks were confined initially to the root system just after cutting but as the cane matured and growth ceased, termites tunnelled up into the above-ground stems. Losses accounted for 5–10% of total annual production. The nesting and foraging behaviour of this species altered with the change from natural savanna to sugarcane cultivation. The vertical distribution of M. subhyalinus fungus combs in soil under savanna and sugarcane over different seasons was analysed. There was a linear relationship between monthly rainfall and foraging activity in savanna while in sugarcane no relationship was observed.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 86 , Issue 4 , August 1996 , pp. 387 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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