Macrotermes gilvus

Macrotermes gilvus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Blattodea
Infraorder:	Isoptera
Family:	Termitidae
Genus:	Macrotermes
Species:	M. gilvus
Binomial name
	Macrotermes gilvus; (Hagen, 1858)
Synonyms
	Termes (Termes) gilvus Hagen, 1858 ; Junior Synonyms List Termes azarelii Wasmann, 1896; Termes malayanus Haviland, 1898; Termes (Macrotermes) manilanus Oshima, 1914; Termes (Macrotermes) philippinae Oshima, 1914; Termes (Macrotermes) luzonensis Oshima, 1914; Termes (Termes) copelandi Oshima, 1914; Macrotermes gilvus padangensis Kemner, 1930; Macrotermes gilvus borneensis Kemner, 1933; Macrotermes gilvus latinotum Kemner, 1934; Macrotermes gilvus angusticeps Kemner, 1934; Macrotermes gilvus madurensis Kemner, 1934; Macrotermes gilvus kalshoveni Kemner, 1934; ;

Macrotermes gilvus² is a species of large termites in the family Termitidae; current records of ocurrence are from India, Indochina (Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam) and Malesia (East Timor, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines).¹

They also make termitaria containing fungus combs, which when mature enough, will sprout edible mushrooms.³

Description and phylogeny

Macrotermes gilvus is estimated to have likely emerged 2.67 million years ago.⁴

Part of the Macrotermes genus, they are also related to Macrotermes nnandalei and M. chaiglomi.⁴ In parts of Indochina they may coexist with Macrotermes carbonarius where they can be distinguished easily by their brown colour.

Behavior

Macrotermes gilvus termites are typically aggressive with other colonies.⁵ They typically forage for fungi after colony establishment.

References

"Termite Database". www.termitologia.net. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
Hagen HA 1858. Monographie der Termiten. Linnaea Entomologica 12: i-iii + 4-342 + 459.
Lwin, Wai Wai. "Macrotermes gilvus". Journal of Agricultural Research. 6 (2): 3.
Singham, G. Veera; Othman, Ahmad Sofiman; Lee, Chow-Yang (2017-11-29). "Phylogeography of the termite Macrotermes gilvus and insight into ancient dispersal corridors in Pleistocene Southeast Asia". PLOS ONE. 12 (11) e0186690. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186690. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5706666.
Rojo, Mark Jun A.; Acda, Menandro N. (2016-05-01). "Interspecific Agonistic Behavior of Macrotermes gilvus (Isoptera: Termitidae): Implication on Termite Baiting in the Philippines". Journal of Insect Behavior. 29 (3): 273–282. doi:10.1007/s10905-016-9564-2. ISSN 1572-8889.

External links

Media related to Macrotermes gilvus at Wikimedia Commons

[TCat-1] "Termite Database". www.termitologia.net. Retrieved 20 May 2026.

[2] Hagen HA 1858. Monographie der Termiten. Linnaea Entomologica 12: i-iii + 4-342 + 459.

[3] Lwin, Wai Wai. "Macrotermes gilvus". Journal of Agricultural Research. 6 (2): 3.

[:0-4] Singham, G. Veera; Othman, Ahmad Sofiman; Lee, Chow-Yang (2017-11-29). "Phylogeography of the termite Macrotermes gilvus and insight into ancient dispersal corridors in Pleistocene Southeast Asia". PLOS ONE. 12 (11) e0186690. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186690. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5706666.

[5] Rojo, Mark Jun A.; Acda, Menandro N. (2016-05-01). "Interspecific Agonistic Behavior of Macrotermes gilvus (Isoptera: Termitidae): Implication on Termite Baiting in the Philippines". Journal of Insect Behavior. 29 (3): 273–282. doi:10.1007/s10905-016-9564-2. ISSN 1572-8889.

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