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Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Scientific Research Agricultural and Marine Sciences, 10(1):33-40 (2005) ©2005 Sultan Qaboos University Identification, Geographical Distribution and Hosts of Subterranean Termites in the United Arab Emirates Arid Ecosystem W. Kaakeh Department of Arid Land Agriculture, College of Food Systems, P. O. Box 17555, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates وﻟﯿﺪ ﻛﻌﻚ اﻟﺨﻼﺻﺔ: ﺗﻢ ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ ﺳﺘﺔ أﻧﻮاع ﻣﻦ اﻟﻨﻤﻞ اﻷﺑﯿﺾ (اﻷرﺿﺔ) ﺗﺎﺑﻌﺔ إﻟﻰ ﺧﻤﺴﺔ أﺟﻨﺎس وﺛﻼث ﻓﺼﺎﺋﻞ (ھﻮدوjرﻣﯿﺘﯿﺪي Hodotermitidae، راﻳﻨﻮﺗﺮﻣﯿﺘﯿﺪي Rhinotermi،Rhinotermitidaetidae، وﺗﺮﻣﯿﺘﯿﺪي T(Termitidaeermitidae) ﻓﻲ اﻹﻣﺎرات اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪة. وأﻧﻮاع اﻷرﺿﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻢ ﺗﺴﺠﯿﻠﮭﺎ ھﻲ اﻷرﺿﺔ اﻟﺤﺎﺻﺪة أو اﻷرﺿﺔ اﻟﻼﺷﻮﻛﯿﺔ Anacanthotermes ochraceusochraceus (Burmeister(Burmeister) و Anacanthotermes ubachi (Navas(Navas)، وأرﺿﺔ اﻟﺮﻣﻞ اﻟﺜﻐﺮﻳﺔ Psammotermes hypostomahypostoma (Desneux)، واﻷرﺿﺔ اﻟﺸﻤﻌﯿﺔ اﻟﺼﻐﯿﺮة MicrocerotermesMicrocerotermes diversusdiversus Silvestri))، واﻷرﺿﺔ اﻟﻨﺠﺪﻳﺔ اﻟﺪﻗﯿﻘﺔ Microtermes najdensis (Harris) ، واﻷرﺿﺔ Heterotermes aethiopicus (Sjostedt)، وﺑﺎﺳﺘﺜﻨﺎء اﻟﻨﻮع H. aethiopicus، ﻓﺈﻧﻪ ﺗﻢ ﺗﺴﺠﯿﻞ اﻷﻧﻮاع اﻟﺨﻤﺴﺔ اﻷﺧﺮى ﻟﻠﻤﺮة اﻷوﻟﻰ ﻓﻲ اﻹﻣﺎرات اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪة. وﺗﻌﯿﺶ ﻛﻞ اﻷﻧﻮاع ﺗﺤﺖ اﻷرض وﺗﺼﻞ إﻟﻰ ﻣﺼﺎدر اﻟﻐﺬاء اﻟﺨﺸﺒﯿﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل أﻧﻈﻤﺔ اﻷﻧﻔﺎق اﻟﻄﯿﻨﯿﺔ. وﻗﺪ وﺟﺪت اﻷرﺿﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻨﺎﻃﻖ ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺪوﻟﺔ واﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺘﻤﯿﺰ ﺑﺎﺧﺘﻼف ﻇﺮوﻓﮭﺎ اﻟﻤﻨﺎﺧﯿﺔ وﻏﻄﺎءھﺎ اﻟﻨﺒﺎﺗﻲ وﻧﻮع ﺗﺮﺑﺘﮭﺎ. وﺗﻔﻀﻞ اﻷرﺿﺔ اﻟﺘﻐﺬﻳﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻌﻮاﺋﻞ اﻟﺤﯿﺔ أو اﻟﻤﯿﺘﺔ أو اﻟﻤﺘﻌﻔﻨﺔ، ﺑﺎﻹﺿﺎﻓﺔ إﻟﻰ اﻟﻤﻮاد ﻏﯿﺮ اﻟﺴﯿﻠﯿﻠﻮزﻳﺔ. وﻣﻦ أﻛﺜﺮ أﻧﻮاع اﻷرﺿﺔ ًﺗﻮزﻳﻌﺎ ﻓﻲ اﻹﻣﺎرات اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪة ھﻲ A. ochraceusochraceus وﺗﺘﺒﻌﮭﺎ ﻛﻞ ﻣﻦ P.P. hypostomahypostoma وdiversusوM. diversus. وﻗﺪ اﺧﺘﻠﻒ ﺗﻮزﻳﻊ اﻷﻧﻮاع اﻟﺴﺘﺔ ﺿﻤﻦ ﻛﻞ إﻣﺎرة، وﻟﻜﻦ وﺟﺪت ﻛﻞ اﻷﻧﻮاع ﻓﻲ أﻛﺒﺮ إﻣﺎرﺗﯿﻦ وھﻤﺎ أﺑﻮﻇﺒﻲ ودﺑﻲ. ABSTRACT: Six termite species, belonging to five genera and three families (Hodotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae) were identified in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Termite species recorded were the harvester termites Anacanthotermes ochraceus (Burmeister) and Anacanthotermes ubachi (Navas), the sand termite Psammotermes hypostoma (Desneux) and the small waxy termites Microcerotermes diversus (Silvestri), Heterotermes aethiopicus (Sjostedt), and MicrotermesMicrotermes najdensis (Harris). Except for a previous record of H. aethiopicus, the other five species were recorded for the first time in the UAE. All species were subterranean in habitat and reach wood sources through earthen gallery systems. Termites were available in areas with varied conditions of climate, vegetation and soil types. Termites showed host preference for dead, living, or decaying plant materials and non-cellulose materials. The dominant termite species recorded was A. ochraceus, followed by P. hypostoma and M. diversus. The distributions of the six termite species varied in each of the seven Emirates. All species were present in the two largest Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Keywords: Anacanthotermes ochraceus, Psammotermes hypostoma, Arabian region, termite distribution, Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae, Hodotermitidae. Introduction Termites have become increasingly important pests of the sun. Termites feed on living, dead or decaying of crops and buildings in the United Arab Emirates plant material. Some species are capable of reducing (UAE), where desert and marginal lands are irrigated wooden structures to dust and may cause serious for agriculture. UAE also imports many kinds of damage to buildings. woods and wood products to meet the needs of Several records pertaining to termites in the industry, new buildings, construction and furniture. Arabian Gulf countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, Two termite foraging strategies are adopted in have been made (Nasr et al., 1978; Badawi et al., the UAE ecosystem: species are either nocturnal or 1982, 1986; Chhotani and Bose, 1982 and 1991). they construct protective soil tunnels within which The termite fauna of the Arabian Peninsula comprise they are shielded from heat and desiccating effects 22 species (Badawi et al., 1986; Chhotani and Bose, 33 Kaakeh 1991). No study of the termite fauna in the UAE materials) were inspected for termite presence: 115 in has previously been made; the only record for UAE Abu-Dhabi, 46 in Dubai, 25 in Sharjah, 12 in Ajman, is a colony of Heterotermes aethiopicus (Sjostedt) 14 in Al Fujayrah, 6 in Umm al Qaywayn, 12 in Ras infesting a house in Al-Ain City in Abu Dhabi Emirate al Khaymah Emirate. The number of field trips was (Boocock, 1979). consistent with the size of the each emirate. Direct collection of termites was made from all infested The objectives of this study were to conduct a plants and materials. Termite specimens were mostly general survey for identifying subterranean termites, workers or nymphs, and to a lesser extend winged to determine the geographical distribution of all termites. Winged adults of most species were collected termite species in all seven emirates, and to determine after their swarming periods (during a humid day or termite living- or dead-hosts. at night at the beginning of the spring). Soldiers and winged castes were only collected during the spring Materials and Methods season at the time of termite swarming. Specimens Field sampling of termites from different regions were kept in 70 % alcohol, each in a separate glass vial of the UAE were conducted from March 2000-May for each site in each emirate. 2002 (Figure 1). A total of 64 field trips were made Preliminary identification of the collected termites in all Emirates (35 in Abu-Dhabi, 10 in Dubai, 8 in was made using the available termite keys (Snyder, Sharjah, 4 in Ajman, 2 in Al Fujayrah, 3 in Umm al 1949; Harris, 1967; Fontes, 1985; Sands, 1998). The Qaywayn, 2 in Ras al Khaymah Emirate). A total confirmation of termite identification was made by of 224 sites (live or dead plant host or other infested sending specimens to the British Museum of Natural Figure 1. Map of the United Arab Emirates. Each circle symbol, in each Emirate, represents 1-3 inspected sites in each location. 34 Table 1. Geographical distribution of identified termite species from the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Number of sites with termites; figures in brackets indicate the percentage of all sites visited. Geographical distributionandhostsofsubterraneantermitesintheUAEaridecosystem Termite Emirate (number of sites) Umm al Ras al Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Ajman Al Fujayrah Qaywayn Khaymah Family Species (115) (46) (25) (12) (14) (6) (12) Anacanthotermes ochraceus 45 13 14 8 5 3 Hodotermitidae x (Burmeister) (39.1)* (28.3) (56.0) (57.1) (83.3) (25.0) 35 Anacanthotermes ubachi 6 3 6 1 x x x (Navas) (5.2) (6.5) (42.9) (16.7) Psammotermes hypostoma 35 20 6 7 5 Rhinotermitidae x x (Desneux) (30.4) (43.5) (24.0) (58.3) (41.7) Heterotermes aethiopicus 4 2 1 x x x x (Sjostedt) (3.5) (4.3) (8.3) Microcertotermes diversus 19 6 4 3 Termitidae x x x (Silvestri) (16.5) (13.1) (16.0) (25.0) Microtermes najdensis 6 2 1 5 x x x (Harris) (5.3) (4.3) (4.0) (41.7) *Number of inspected sites (percentage in parenthesis) in which each termite species was found in each Emirate. Kaakeh History (UK). Data on the geographical distribution P. hypostoma, H. aethiopicus, and M. diversus were and hosts (plants and other materials) attacked by found. various termite species, was collected. Results and Discussion Hosts Subterranean termites in the UAE are considered pests Termite species because of the extent of damage they cause to various Table 1 shows all identified termite species in each sorts of living hosts structural materials. Termites Emirate. A total of six termite species, belonging showed host preference as follows: to 5 genera and 3 families, were identified. Termite Termites and residences and historical buildings: species were the harvester termites: Anacanthotermes Damage to wood in residences and historical buildings ochraceus (Burmeister) and Anacanthotermes ubachi was inflicted by all identified species in all emirates, (Navas), the sand termite Psammotermes hypostoma except in the case of M. najdensis where there was no (Desneux), the small waxy termites Microcerotermes record of infestation in buildings. A. ochraceus and diversus (Silvestri), Heterotermes aethiopicus P. hypostoma were found attacking and destroying (Sjostedt), and Microtermes najdensis (Harris). roofs of historical buildings and causing damage to Except for the only record of H. aethiopicus in the constructional timbers and furniture. In many cases UAE (Boocock, 1979), the other five species had these species had removed the straw from mud bricks not previously been reported in the UAE. All species used in the construction of rural residences, especially were subterranean in habitat and reach wood sources in Dubai and Abu Dhabi Emirates. Kassab et al. (1960) through earthen gallery systems. Workers of most reported that a severe infestation by A. ochraceus species forage in the open from late afternoon to early resulted in the abandoning of a village in Egypt. morning. Soldiers appeared to form a small proportion The damage caused to wood in residences and of the termite colonies. historical buildings in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Emirates, mainly by A. ochraceus and P. hypostoma, justify Identification and geographical distribution the application of chemical preservatives and other The dominant termite species found in the UAE chemical control strategies such as pressure injection were A. ochraceus, followed by P. hypostoma and M. treatments, barrier treatments, and the use of baits. diversus. The distributions of the six termite species Termites and fruit trees: Termites in UAE are in each emirate were as follows: A. ochraceus was considered to be pests of fruit trees. Live citrus found in all emirates, except in Ajman; A. ubachi was trees, Citrus sp., were infested by A. ochraceus and found in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Fujayrah and Umm P. hypostoma in Ras al Khaymah, and M. najdensis al Qaywayn; P. hypostoma was found in all emirates in Ajman. Date palm trees, Phoenix dactylifera, were except in Al Fujayrah; H. aethiopicus was found in affected by all identified species at various levels Abu Dhabi, and Ras Al Khaymah; M. diversus was of infestation. Live date palm trees were affected found in four emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, by four species: A. ochraceus in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras al Khaymah; and M.
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