Colony populations and biomass in nests of the Amazonian forest termite Anoplotermes banksi emerson (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Abstract

The arboreal nests of the termite Anoplotermes banksi are abundant in Central Amazonian primary rain forests. Colony size of 7 nests (weight 92-6891 g) varied between 2,593 and 39,256 individuals/nest (1.5 - 22.1 g termites/ nest). Average body fresh weight was 0.9 mg for workers and 2.1 mg for alates. Queens weighed 10-30 mg. No relationship between nest weight and maturity was detected, as the ratio of workers to larvae was 1:1, independent of nest size, and alates were found in nests weighing less than 200 g. Nests of A. banksi (12-18 ha-1) accounted for 12-15% of the nest density of all Isopteran species, but the calculated fresh weight of the termites of this species (15-23 mg/m2) represented only 0.2-0.4% of the total termite biomass in the study area.