Mastotermitidae

Mastotermitidae
Temporal range: HauterivianHolocene, 129.4–0 Ma[1]
Mastotermes darwiniensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Parvorder: Euisoptera
Family: Mastotermitidae
Genera

See text

Mastotermitidae is a family of termites. Several genera are known from the fossil record. The sole living species is Mastotermes darwiniensis, found only in northern Australia.

Fossil record

Numerous fossil taxa have been described in the Mastotermitidae, as well as in the genus Mastotermes. The family seems to have had a worldwide distribution until just a few million years ago, when all but the ancestors of the giant northern termite became extinct for unknown reasons.

Genera included in the Mastotermitidae are:[2]

References

  1. Wang, Yan-hui; Engel, Michael S.; Rafael, José A.; Wu, Hao-yang; Rédei, Dávid; Xie, Qiang; Wang, Gang; Liu, Xiao-guang; Bu, Wen-jun (2016). "Fossil record of stem groups employed in evaluating the chronogram of insects (Arthropoda: Hexapoda)". Scientific Reports. 6: 38939. PMC 5154178Freely accessible. PMID 27958352. doi:10.1038/srep38939.
  2. Krishna, K., D.A. Grimaldi, V. Krishna, & M.S. Engel (2013) Treatise on the Isoptera of the world. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 377: 1-2704.
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