“The road to reproduction”: foraging trails of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) as maternities for Staphylinidae beetles

Corotoca (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) beetles are known for their close integration in the nests of the termite Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae). Although this relationship is regarded as ancient, many details are still obscure, such as their reproduction and the processes that lead to the dispersal of new beetles. We observed the use of termite foraging trails by Staphylinidae females to deposit and disperse their larvae. We recorded the deposition of larvae of C. melantho, C. fontesi, and C. sp. n. on the dorsal surfaces of termite host workers. The workers continue to follow the foraging trail until the newborn larvae freed themselves and fell into the leaf litter, subsequently burrowing into the ground. Information regarding the life stages of those Staphylinidae larvae outside the termite nest is important to understanding their full lifecycle as those taxa have strong relationships with the nest environment but also require dispersal strategies

The Impact of <i>Constrictotermes cyphergaster</i> (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) Termites on Semiarid Ecosystems in Brazil: A Review of Current Research

Termites have global distributions and play important roles in most ecosystems, often with high nest densities and interesting associations with other organisms. Constrictotermes cyphergaster, is a termite endemic to South America, widely distributed and very conspicuous, and has therefore been considered a good model for filling in gaps in general termite ecology and their relationships with other organisms (e.g., termitophily). A systematic review (content and bibliometric analyses) was used to gather all published scientific knowledge related to C. cyphergaster as well as to observe trends, verify gaps, and direct new perspectives for future studies of this species. We identified 54 studies, of which more than 50% were published in the last five years (28 articles). The majority of the articles investigated the relationships between C. cyphergaster and macroorganisms (44.4%), followed by specific aspects of its biology (25.9%). The collaboration network revealed that links between researchers are still limited and modular, but trending topics have changed over time. Additionally, there are differences in the aims of the studies being carried out in the Caatinga and Cerrado domains, with some information focusing only on one of those environments. Our results show that some gaps in the biology and ecology of C. cyphergaster remain to be explored, although collaborative efforts between researchers open opportunities for suggesting future studies that would make relevant contributions to the general knowledge of termites