Macrotermes carbonarius
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Macrotermes carbonarius, also known as Kongkiak in Malay, is a large black species of fungus-growing termite in the genus Macrotermes. It is one of the most conspicuous species of Macrotermes found in the Indomalayan tropics, forming large foraging trails in the open that can extend several metres in distance. M. carbonarius is a highly aggressive species with the soldiers possessing large curving mandibles that easily break skin. It is found in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Soldiers, workers, and imagoes of the species Macrotermes carbonarius are easily distinguished from other species in its range due to the almost jet-black coloration of the exoskeletons. Like other Macrotermes species, M. carbonarius has dimorphic worker and soldier castes, with the largest soldiers commonly reaching lengths of 16 mm.
The imagoes can closely resemble the imagoes of some species of Odontotermes. They can, however, be distinguished by the proportionally smaller eyes and overall larger size of M. carbonarius imagoes, which can attain a body length of 15 – 16 mm. The primary distinction is in the forewings as, unlike in Odontotermes where the median... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Macrotermes carbonarius sighting in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 125 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Macrotermes carbonarius in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and October, the lowest months. That is one of Cat Tien National Park's wettest months, with about 340 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Macrotermes carbonarius sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Macrotermes carbonarius sightings, Cat Tien National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Macrotermes carbonarius is recorded against all the insects logged in Cat Tien National Park (34 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
