Termopsidae

Termopsidae is an extinct family of termites in the order Blattodea. The five extant genera formerly included in Termopsidae (Archotermopsis, Hodotermopsis, Porotermes, Stolotermes, and Zootermopsis) have recently been treated as part of the newer family Archotermopsidae, leaving only extinct taxa in Termopsidae.[1][2]

Termopsidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Blattodea
Family:
†Termopsidae

Grassé, 1949
Genera

see text

Several prehistoric genera are placed herein, known only from fossils. Since only a small part of the erstwhile diversity of dampwood termites survives, it is rather difficult to assign these to subfamilies. Several seem to represent very ancient members of the family; they may be quite basal Termopsidae, so it is indeed unwarranted to place them into a subfamily at all.

  • Genus Asiatermes (Early Cretaceous of China)
  • Genus Huaxiatermes (Early Cretaceous of China)
  • Genus Mesotermopsis (Early Cretaceous of China)
  • Genus Cretatermes (Late Cretaceous of Labrador, Canada)
  • Genus Lutetiatermes (Late Cretaceous of France)
  • Genus Paleotermopsis (Late Oligocene of France)
  • Genus Parotermes (Oligocene of Colorado, USA)
  • Genus Valditermes – provisionally placed here

Nomenclature

The group was originally described as a subfamily, Termopsinae, by Nils Holmgren in 1911, and was raised to the taxonomic rank of family by Pierre-Paul Grassé in 1949.[3]

References
  1. Engel, M.S.; Grimaldi, D.A.; Krishna, K. (2009). "Termites (Isoptera): their phylogeny, classification, and rise to ecological dominance". American Museum Novitates. 3650: 1–27.
  2. Constantino, Reginaldo (2016). "Termite Database".
  3. UNESCO (1962). Termites in the humid tropics: proceedings of the New Delhi symposium, Volume 1960. Humid tropics research. p. 35.
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