isoptera

Isoptera is the historical name for termites, a group of eusocial insects remarkable for their wood-based diets and highly organized colonies. In modern scientific classification, termites are placed within the order Blattodea (the cockroaches), and Isoptera is treated as an informal or historical grouping rather than a separate order. The term is still encountered in literature to refer to termites as a clade or to discuss their evolutionary relationship to cockroaches.

Termites exhibit a caste-based society with typically three main groups: workers, soldiers, and reproductives. Workers perform foraging, nest maintenance, and care of the brood, while soldiers specialize in colony defense. Reproductives include winged alates that disperse to establish new colonies and a king and queen that remain to sustain the colony. Some colonies also contain secondary reproductive individuals (neotenics) that can take on breeding roles if the primary reproductives are lost.

Termites feed primarily on cellulose-containing plant material. Their digestive systems rely on mutualistic symbionts: lower termites harbor gut protozoa and bacteria that digest cellulose, whereas higher termites depend more on bacterial communities. A unique group of higher termites, the Macrotermitinae, cultivates fungi (Termitomyces) in their nests to assist in wood digestion.

Distribution and diversity: termites occur worldwide, predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions, with several species adapted to temperate climates. About 2,000 to 3,000 described species are recognised, grouped into several families, including Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, Termitidae, and others.

Ecological and economic significance: termites are important decomposers in ecosystems, breaking down decaying wood and contributing to nutrient cycling. However, some species are major structural pests, causing damage to buildings and timber. Management focuses on prevention, monitoring, and control methods such as barriers, baits, and targeted chemical treatments.