Summary
In colonies ofOdontotermes stercorivorus (Sj.), nymphs appear only once annually. They are not to be found in all colonies of a similar size and their numbers show great variation from nest to nest. Nymphs originate and develop in batches, together with larvae, in egg chambers near to the queen. The older nymphs move from the egg chambers and the alatae congregate in chambers at the periphery of the nest.
External factors, such as climate and foraging conditions, may be important as releasers of the annual nymphal production, the time of which is species specific. But whether or not nymphs occur in a nest in any particular year and in what numbers, seems to be more dependent on internal factors.
Zusammenfassung
In den Staaten vonOdontotermes stercorivorus (Sj.) entstehen Nymphen nur einmal im Jahr. Sie treten jedoch nicht in allen Nestern auf und ihre Anzahl pro Nest schwankt erheblich. Nymphen erscheinen im Nest schubweise. Sie entstehen zusammen mit Larven in Eikammern, die der Königinkammer benachbart liegen. Die alten Nymphen entfernen sich von den Eikammern und die geflügelten Geschlechtstiere sammeln sich schliesslich in Kammern an der Peripherie der Nester.
Äussere Faktoren, insbesondere das Klima und das Nahrungsangebot könnten alljährlich die Entstehung von Nymphen auslösen, die jahreszeitlich artspezifisch festliegt. Ob jedoch in einem bestimmten Jahr in den einzelnen Nestern Nymphen auftreten oder nicht und in welcher Anzahl scheint abhängig zu sein von internen Faktoren.
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Truckenbrodt, W. About the time and place of appearance and the number of nymphs ofOdontotermes stercorivorus (Sj.) (Insecta, Isoptera). Ins. Soc 25, 303–313 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224295
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224295