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Scientific Name:
Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, 1909 (ITIS)
Common Name:
Formosan subterranean termite (FST), ground termites
Native To:
East Asia (Lax and Osbrink 2003)
Date of U.S. Introduction:
1960s (Messenger et al. 2002)
Means of Introduction:
Arrived accidentally on ships from the Pacific (Messenger et al. 2002)
Impact:
Damages landscape trees and causes significant structural damage to buildings (Lax and Osbrink 2003)
Images
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Australian Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre. Pests and Diseases Image Library.
Videos
Google. YouTube; University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Selected Resources
The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Formosan Subterranean Termite.
Partnership
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
CABI. Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).
State and Local Government
County of Los Angeles (California). Agricultural Commissioner. Weights and Measures.
Academic
North Carolina State University. Cooperative Extension.
University of Georgia. Extension.
Bulletin 1209.
University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
Electronic Data Information Source Publication #ENY121
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. Research and Extension.
University of California. Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
Pest Notes are peer-reviewed scientific publications about specific pests or pest management topics, directed at California's home and landscape audiences.
Citations
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Coptotermes formosanus. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].
- Lax, A.R., and W.L. Osbrink. 2003. United States Department of Agriculture—Agriculture Research Service research on targeted management of the Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Pest Management Science 59(6-7):788-800.
- Messenger, M.T., N.Y. Su, and R.H. Scheffrahn. 2002. Current distribution of the Formosan subterranean termite and other termite species in Louisiana (PDF | 103 KB). Florida Entomologist 84(5):580-587.