Influence of Fungal Odor on Grooming Behavior of the Termite, Coptotermes formosanus

Abstract The termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) protects itself from entomopathogenic fungus by mutual grooming behavior. C. formosanus removes foreign organisms, such as fungal conidia, from the body surface of its nestmates by mutual grooming behavior and eating them. The conidia removal rate from the body surface differed according to the isolate of entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria brongniartii 782, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus K3, and Metarhizium anisopliae 455), and the removal rate of the fungal isolates seemed to depend on feeding preference, which was detrmined using paper discs moistened with a fungal suspension. In addition, it was found that C. formosanus without antennae groomed their nestmates more frequently than those with antennae. Consequently, it seems that C. formosanus antennae detect substances without touching, such as via odor, and it affects the efficiency of grooming behavior. The results of single sensillum recording support the hypothesis that C. formosanus are capable of distinguishing three species of fungi by their odors.

• Publication year

  2010

• Venue

  Journal of Insect Science

• Publication date

  2010-08-23

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1673/031.010.14101PMID 21073347PMCID 3016997
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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