Some Aspects of Ecology and Biogeography of Termites of Peninsular India.

Abstract

The characteristic physiographic configurations, varied agroclimatic and vegetational complexities of the peninsular Indian region have, to a great extent, been responsible for the great deversity and abundance of termites with a high degree of endemism. The region is represented by 32 genera and 89 species. The majority of the species (38,20%) are from the subhumid zone, followed by the humid zone (32,59%) and the semiarid zone (29,21%). Mound building termites of the family Macrotermitidae are conspicuous by their rarity in the humid zone; hower, in the subhumid zone these termites are more common, and here the mound building activity of these termites is encountered most. The harvester termites of genera Anacan-thotermes (1 species) and Trinervitermes (4 species) prefer and thrive well in semiarid conditions, though straying at times into the adjoining subhumid areas falling within their distributional range. Similarly nearly 47,19% of the species have been recorded from dry tropical vegetation followed by moist tropical (37,08%) and scrub thorny vegetation (15,73%). Zoogeographically the composition of the termite fauna of this region is overwhelmingly Oriental in Origin (Genera 53,13%; species 32,58%), followed by the Ethiopian element (Genera 18,75%; species 34,83%), and the Neotropical element (Genera 12,50%; species 27,47%), with only a small fraction being of Palaearctic Origin (Genera 3,12%; species 1,12%), while four genera (12,50%) and eight species (9%) are of doubtful origin. The region exhibits a high degree of endemision (68,54). The region also exhibits a great degree of affinity with the Sri Lanka fauna (Genera 25"; species 10,11%), followed by the Oriental element (Genera 18,75%; 13,43). The paper also discusses the origin and the possible routes of dispersal of the fauna.