Termite (Isoptera) genera in crop environments

A preliminary survey was conducted by transect method throughout the instructional farm area of the College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara and the soldier castes of termites were sampled from a unit area of 200 sq. m each from various crop environments. The collected samples were preserved and identified based on taxonomic keys with reference to their characteristics of head capsule, mandibles and pronotum. A total of nine genera under two families were identified; out of which seven genera viz., Odontotermes, Procapritermes, Dicuspiditermes, Homallotermes, Microtermes, Microcerotermes and Nasutitermes were under the family Termitidae and Heterotermes and Coptotermes were of the family Rhinotermitidae. Odontotermes was found to be the most dominant in all the crop environments accounting for about 62.03%. The least occuring was Coptotermes which constituted only 1.27%.