Summary
The direct development ofNeotermes papua (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) comprises four larval and three nymphal instars before the alate. The first five instars can be easily characterized. The second stage nymphs come morphologically close to the pseudergates, characterized by reduced wing buds. These nymphs can moult stationarily, i.e. with little morphological change, or to presoldiers, or proceed to the alate via the third nymphal stage. Pseudergates originate through a late and reversible deviation from the straight development to the alate. Presoldiers may derive from several stages, up to the last nymphal one; their production is subject to an inhibition by extant soldiers. This developmental schema is congruent with those described in other Kalotermitidae and the Termopsidae. By pinpointing the existence of a large pool of pluripotent individuals, in which the penultimate nymphal stage mingles with pseudergates, the present study also reveals a great similarity betweenNeotermes andProrhinotermes, and suggests that this developmental schema might be generally applicable to termites devoid of a permanent worker caste.
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King Léopold III Biological Station, Laing Island, Papua New Guinea, contribution No. 235
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Roisin, Y., Pasteels, J.M. Polymorphism in the giant cocoa termite,Neotermes papua (Desneux). Ins. Soc 38, 263–272 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01314912
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01314912