@hamishrobertson @tonyrebelo @jeremygilmore @botswanabugs
In May 2006, a colleague and I traversed Namibia from the southern border to the eastern Caprivi Strip.
One of my search-images at the time was for the termitaria of Trinervitermes (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=567388).
Trinervitermes trinervoides is widespread and common in South Africa. It is one of the main foods of Proteles cristatus, which is remarkably widespread in southern Africa (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1306005-Proteles-cristatus).
There is at least one record of a termitarium of Trinervitermes in Namibia (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154573786). This is in the pro-Namib, viz. the eastern border of the Namib desert (https://www.landscapesnamibia.org/sossusvlei-namib/landscape-members/689 and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196396902037 and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196318302155).
Another record is pertinent. The incidence of termitaria of Trinervitermes in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32915349) indicates that there may be a similar incidence in the adjacent part of Namibia, where the relevant environment straddles the international border.
However, in my own transect of Namibia, I did not spot even a single termitarium of this genus.
This raises a puzzle.
Proteles cristatus is widespread in Namibia (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=7140&taxon_id=1306005).
Since its diet in southern Africa is said to consist mainly of Hodotermes and Trinervitermes (in that order of preference), three possible explanations are:
On 11 May 2006, we excavated an abandoned mound of Macrotermes michaelseni, near Okahandja (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okahandja). This fungus-culturing termite is absent from the southern half of Namibia.
Trinervitermes - and its stores of cut grass-stems - was present inside this mound. I tasted the nasutes to confirm the taste of turpentine. It seems that Trinervitermes exploits old mounds of Macrotermes, without changing their external appearance.
Elsewhere in northern Namibia, I found Hodotermes in the mounds of M. michaelseni.
This observation raises the following question:
Where Trinervitermes and Macrotermes coexist, is it true to say that the former refrains from building its own above-ground structures?
Σχόλια
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Termite-nests-of-Trinervitermes-trinervoides-in-the-Faan-Meintjes-Nature-Reserve-South_fig1_336140411
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Termite-nests-of-Trinervitermes-trinervoides-in-the-Franklin-Game-Reserve-South-Africa_fig1_349694593
TRINERVITERMES IN WEST AFRICA (where Proteles cristatus does not occur):
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2449
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28309515/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00374-006-0121-6 and https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201300745264
https://namibian.org/news/nature-and-environment/termites-tiny-architects-of-gigantic-structures#:~:text=In%20the%20south%20of%20Namibia,for%20farmers%20and%20their%20livestock.
https://naturetravelnamibia.com/termite-mounds-in-namibia/
https://cheetah.org/ccf-blog/life-at-ccf/termites-mushrooms-and-cheetahs/
https://gondwana-collection.com/news/termites-doing-earthworm-work-in-arid-areas
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/termites-of-namibia
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/myth-busted-formation-of-namibias-fairy-circles-isnt-due-to-termites/
Please see comments in https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/80715-interpretive-notes-on-the-termite-family-hodotermitidae-in-africa-based-mainly-on-coaton-and-sheasby-1972-1974-1975#activity_comment_852ec086-d149-4d0d-bc17-3e1221437df1.
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